"Most of us here would give anything to fly a Flanker"

[Mohammed Azizuddin]

Candid words from a top gun instructor, who now commands roughly half the airborne striking force that the US Navy has over the Pacific. More than that, these are words of any American pilot who's heard all the Sukhoi stories. Captain Hal Murdock, commodore at Lemoore Naval Air Station, California, is a Tomcat ace who now spends his time effecting the foundations for the next generation of American naval aviation, a.k.a. the F-35 Lightning-II.

To be honest, I'm yet to find a US pilot (and most defence correspondents have met a whole bunch in the last three years) who wouldn't give something really valuable to get behind the stick of a Su-30MKI. The young US Navy lieutenant Matthew "Bloody" Stoll, who flew me in an F/A-18F Super Hornet in February last year at Yelahanka, said, "Hook me up with a Flanker ride, and I'll get you another F/A-18 flight!"

Anyway, during the briefind we got from Captain Murdock at the Lemoore base, the discussion inevitable shifted to a comparison between the Super Hornet and the Su-30MKI. You can always trust a real pilot to be honest about his gear, and stuff used by his purported adversaries. For starters, he was candidly and unambigiously clear that if a Super Hornet and Su-30MKI went head to head, one on one, it would be an incredibly good fight.

One thing he said outright -- it would be imperative for the Super Hornet to keep the engagement BVR to keep its advantages peaked. The Super Hornet, he said, would be able to paint the MKI with its AESA minutes before the reverse could happen, giving it precious minutes to act. Secondly, in a BVR engagement, the electronic warfare environment made possible by the Super Hornet's integrated EW systems are "far superior to anything known to exist on the best Russian fighters". But, he said, you allow the Su-30 to get into a close-combat engagement with the Super Hornet, and "it's gonna be a very different story, I'm afraid."

For starters, the Super Hornet will be almost hopelessly outmanouvered by the MKI, Murdock says. "We've seen these fellas at air shows. It ain't funny. That thing can swing." Even the Super Hornet's turbo nose-down feature (something pilots love) wont allow it to dodge. And probably most importanty, Murdock indicates that in any engagement, if the Super Hornet doesn't make its kill quickly, it's going to almost ruin the odds of winning. The Su-30 has immensely more endurance and survivability in the air than a Super Hornet, and by the simple virtue of being able to stay in the air longer, has a critical one-up.
Source:LiveFist: "Most of us here would give anything to fly a Flanker"

 

[vish]

Imagine what an AESA equipped Su-30 MKI would be?

 

[Comet]

Devestation!!!

 

[nitesh]

Hey gr8 words so MKI's are running a reputation. My wish if they could get AESA fitted in.

 

[blain2]

I know the MKI posse will be upon my throat for saying this, but keep a few things in mind:

a) No body is denying that MKI is a good aircraft, however lets try to understand its capabilities within the overall context.

b) All professional combat pilots will tend to overestimate the capabilities of an aircraft that they may have to go up against. Not doing so or underestimating them would be to their own detriment especially when you know so little about it.

c) Depending on what altitude you are talking about, F/A-18 is not the best dog-fight aircraft around.

d) All Russian aircraft have a certain hype about them until they are viewed up and close and evaluated (which is what is bound to happen as IAF and others like RMAF start exercising with others). Mig-29 had an awesome reputation as the Teen killer but reality is otherwise. Its a decent aircraft within its right but other aircraft can easily hang with it.

I, for one, have a lot of faith in HOBS AAMs and weapons cuing systems to equalize the super maneuverability of TVC equipped aircraft.

 

[vish]

I know the MKI posse will be upon my throat for saying this, but keep a few things in mind:

a) No body is denying that MKI is a good aircraft, however lets try to understand its capabilities within the overall context.

b) All professional combat pilots will tend to overestimate the capabilities of an aircraft that they may have to go up against. Not doing so or underestimating them would be to their own detriment especially when you know so little about it.

c) Depending on what altitude you are talking about, F/A-18 is not the best dog-fight aircraft around.

d) All Russian aircraft have a certain hype about them until they are viewed up and close and evaluated (which is what is bound to happen as IAF and others like RMAF start exercising with others). Mig-29 had an awesome reputation as the Teen killer but reality is otherwise. Its a decent aircraft within its right but other aircraft can easily hang with it.

I, for one, have a lot of faith in HOBS AAMs and weapons cuing systems to equalize the super maneuverability of TVC equipped aircraft.

Well what you've said is valid. So I don't think you have to worry about the "MKI lobby."

a)>>>The Su-30MKI is more akin to the F-15 than the Rafale and the EuroFighter, which do incorporate RCS reduction techniques to a certain extent. Both the MKI and F-15 were not meant to "hide." The F-18, like the F-16, on the other hand is a multi-role strike fighter and this is perhaps the only common element between it and the MKI; the F-15 is a pure air-superiority beast.

One cannot deny that the MKI represents the most potent evolution of the Su-27/30/35 family. It combines Russian strength (TVC) with Western prowess (avionics).

b)>>>Aptly said; but what the pilot has said cannot be overlooked either.

c)>>>F-18 may not be the best dog fighter around but it does hold a BVR edge; but these days there'll hardly be a one-on-one aircraft duel. AWACS and a whole lot of other factors will come into play. The effectiveness of BVR missiles decreases with an increase in range, so both aircraft will try to hold on to their missiles as long as possible.

d)>>>The Russian aircraft are hyped for their supermanouverability; to a great extent, this hype is justified. In avionics and RCS reduction, the West is far ahead. But the BARS on the MKI can toast a few loafs of bread.

With regard to the competition between the HOBS AAMs and TVC birds, I guess a lot will depend on the pilots.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Comet]

So in the end its the PILOT. right?

 

[vish]

So in the end its the PILOT. right?

Always has and always will be; ofcourse, if one pairs an F-22 and Mig-21 Bis in a fight, there is squat that a pilot can do.