 |
| Aviation Wall |
Military Watch has named the true reason for the purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30MKI fighters by India | news
Translated by google
New Delhi’s decision to acquire Russian MiG-29 and Su-30MKI fighters is part of India’s ambitious plan to strengthen its Air Force. This is stated in the publication of the American edition of Military Watch, the translation of which is exclusively for its readers by PolitRussia.
The observer of the American publication recalls that shortly after a clash with Chinese troops in the Galvan Valley, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced plans to urgently purchase Russian fighters. He notes that the Russian Federation will be able to deliver all aircraft within a few months.
“These two classes of fighters currently make up the bulk of the fourth-generation Indian fleet, that is, the service infrastructure and trained pilots are already available,” the publication says.
Both designs of the fourth generation are equipped with formidable sensors, are highly maneuverable, well-adapted for warfare at all heights and are compatible with a wide range of modern types of ammunition. It is worth recalling that the Indian military department has repeatedly emphasized the importance of implementing plans to expand the fleet of air force combat aircraft from 32 squadrons to 42, and the acquisition of the MiG-29, in particular, provided a low-cost means of moving towards this goal.
Military Watch has named the true reason for the purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30MKI fighters by India
Although fighter jets are formidable, they are of medium weight, not heavy, like the Su-30, and therefore consume less fuel and are much cheaper to operate.
“It is believed that Russia has more than 100 unassembled MiG-29 aircraft in storage and hundreds more assembled aircraft in reserve. Unassembled aircraft can be built and upgraded to a modern standard in a relatively short period, providing very fast and economical means for expanding the fleet with the tried-and-tested design of the fighter, ”the observer of the American publication notes.
Despite its advanced capabilities, the MiG-29 is unlikely to be able to withstand the new generation of elite fighters deployed by the Chinese Air Force, which include the lightweight J-10C platform and J-16 and J-20 aircraft.
A columnist for the American publication notes that the J-10C, for example, benefits from composite materials, a reduced cross-section of the airframe, stealth coating, and more modern engines with a controlled thrust vector. His PL-15 missiles have a 2-3 times longer range than those possessed by the MiG-29.
Military Watch has named the true reason for the purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30MKI fighters by India
Although the MiG-29 is a formidable fighter and can be considered more than suitable for old Chinese fighters from the 2000s, such as the J-10A and J-7G, deploying it near the Chinese border will not be enough to provide a qualitative advantage or even parity against newer aircraft of China. However, these fighters can be deployed near the Pakistani border, where they still take advantage of Pakistan's much lighter aircraft, such as the JF-17.
“This, in turn, could free up more elite fighter units for deployment on the northern border,” the observer of the American publication believes.
The Su-30MKI, as the most powerful aircraft in India, has significant advantages over the MiG-29, including excellent maneuverability, new electronics, powerful sensors, high endurance and access to much farther missiles. However, these fighters may not be ideal for countering the Chinese military.
According to the observer of the American publication, in order for India to effectively change the balance of power in its favor, it will need to significantly improve the quality of its front-line fighter units. It will take more time, effort and money than expanding the MiG-29 and Su-30 fleet, but in the long run it may turn out to be cost-effective.
The most likely change in the near future, to which the Air Force has shown considerable interest, would be the acquisition of medium-sized MiG-35 fighters as successors to the MiG-29. These aircraft can be much more economical than the MiG-29. They not only use the same maintenance infrastructure and require very similar pilot training, which simplifies the transition, but also have much lower operating costs. They can deal with heavy Chinese platforms such as the J-20 and J-16, fighter jets must provide parity with J-10C jets and can be purchased at low cost.
Military Watch has named the true reason for the purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30MKI fighters by India
Russia also proposed building aircraft under license in India, which could lead to the same scale of production as the Su-30MKI. The MiG-35S integrates powerful AESA radars and is compatible with a number of new types of confrontation weapons, which are likely to make them the most dangerous fighter of India in an attack role.
Aiming for more expensive and high-class aircraft, the Indian Ministry of Defense continued to show interest in the Russian Su-57. With the launch of this aircraft in mass production in July 2019, the possibility of an Indian acquisition in the not too distant future remains probable.
Su-57 can provide the Indian Navy with all Chinese fighters. Su-57 is the only invisible fighter designed to deploy hypersonic ballistic missiles. This feature allows the Su-57 to pose a threat to Chinese airfields in the western theater of operations. Its large and powerful AESA radar and unique sensors take pilot situational awareness to a new level.
"Its very high endurance can reduce the need for a large number of aircraft and allow the Air Force to instead rely on fewer more elite squadrons to cover more land," said an observer for the American publication.
Ultimately, in addition to further improvements to the Su-30MKI, such as the possible integration of AL-41 engines and Irbis-E radars, the most viable option for a serious counteraction by China from India in the airspace will be to turn to the next-generation Russian structures to increase work efficiency its air fleet.
Earlier, PolitRussia said that observers of the Chinese publication Sohu called the capabilities of Russian fifth-generation fighter Su-57, which the American F-35 does not have.
Author: Sergey Matveev
No comments:
Post a Comment