By Alexander Ermakov.
This summer it will be 20 years since the maiden flight of Su-30MKI prototype, the most prominent representative of the most successful Russian family of fighters, took place. The foreign orders alone exceed already five hundred aircraft, and new contracts continue to be signed.
The Su-30 program roots back to the last years of the USSR existence. Strange as it may seem, but such a comprehensive plane fully compliant with the concept of the modern multifunctional 4+ generation fighter originated from the program of combat trainers’ cosmetic upgrading. Su-27UB, a two-seater version of the leading-edge Su-27 began to arrive in the armed forces at the end of 1987. As far back as in the course of testing Su-27 plane, the experts from air defense forces of the country have noticed a loitering interceptor potential in it to replace the obsolescent Tu-128, and the two-seater version suited this mission ideally: during hours-long flight two crew members share the load, including psychological one, while in case of complex circumstances the operator can focus his attention on tactical situation, including control of single-seater fighters, and avoid distraction for piloting.
In order to fulfill functions of loitering interceptor, it was required to provide even greater flight range by means of in-flight refueling and to install additional cockpit equipment. There also were some other necessary “small details”: providing large stock of oxygen and an additional cockpit space for greater reserves of water and food stuffs, after all the flight missions up to 10 hours may be possible according to technical assignment! The work on the plane designated as Su-27UBP began in May 1987. The follow-on development of two prototypes of dual-control aircraft into a new version began in 1988 at Irkutsk Aviation Plant, namely at that factory Su-27UB had been manufactured (while the single-seaters have been manufactured in Komsomolsk-on-Amur). The updated plane made its maiden flight on October 4, 1988. At the end of 1990 it was decided, proceeding from the test results, to launch production of the updated machine designated Su-30 in 1992 at Irkutsk Aviation Plant replacing the original Su-27UB planes. However, these hopes never materialized due to the known reasons, and only nine original Su-30 have been manufactured.
Indian Breakthrough
Su-30 would have anyway remained in the line of those projects that failed to cut out a place for themselves after disintegration of the USSR and perished without a ripple, unless the works on building the export version featuring extended capabilities for hitting ground targets, a real multi-purpose fighter had started as far back as the end of 1991. Probably, a successful combat debut of F-15E “Strike Eagle” during the “Desert Storm” operation played its role too, because it had been also updated from a “pure” fighter to the multi-purpose plane. Four of nine original Su-30 not procured by the Ministry of Defense had actively got involved into marketing and took part in exhibitions all over the world: Su-30MK made its first appearance in 1993 at the time looking like regular Su-30 with suspended guided bombs and “air-to-ground” missiles.
A buyer appeared there quite soon, in 1994 negotiations started with the Indian party, while on November 30, 1996 the contract was signed for the delivery of 40 Su-30MKI fighters. Su-30MKI had significant differences from its initial appearance, as follows: brand new avionics, in particular, side-looking airborne radar with phased antenna array, essential integration of foreign systems, engines with thrust-vectoring module, enhanced landing gear. The canard surfaces tried-and-true at the shipborne Su-33 and Su-27М (more known as the first Su-35) became the most externally prominent difference and turned out to be a “landmark” of Su-30 from Irkutsk, they increased a margin of pitching instability and improved the plane agility. The maiden flight of the prototype (one of the original Su-30 following upgrading) took place on July 1, 1997 in Zhukovsky (near Moscow).
The tests have turned out to be complicated and intense, it was a brand new machine with respect to flight performance and, especially, with respect to equipment. The maiden flight of the first serial Su-30MKI took place on December 28, 2001, while the first batch was accepted by Indian Air Force in the autumn of 2002. Moreover, the joint tests of avionics and armaments continued at that time in Russia. Besides, it was taken into account beforehand that it would take time to build a fundamentally more sophisticated aircraft ordered by India. In order to begin mastering the equipment by the flight and maintenance personnel, 18 Su-30K were procured in 1996–1998, which basically copied the original Su-30 with slight changes due to installation of satellite navigation system. According to contractual conditions, these planes have been subsequently replaced with the full-fledged Su-30MKI and made way to the Republic of Belarus, where they get modernized at the 558th aircraft repair plant pending sales to Angola.
India became the first and the biggest buyer of the planes of Su-30 family. The first contract was followed by the additional ones, including the greatest program of establishing licensed production at HAL company plant. The first “Indian” Su-30MKI left the gate of the assembly shop in November 2004. Initially, it actually was a screwdriver assembly, later the localization increased significantly, but until now completely knocked down kits are sent from Irkutsk to India. Presently, the total amount of Su-30MKI orders has reached 272 aircraft. The short-range plans include closing contract for deep modernization according to the program known in the media as “Super Sukhoi”. The amount of contract for modernization of 194 aircraft can reach $8 bln. The exact technical concept of the promising plane is not known, one can speak with confidence about renovation of avionics (in particular, installation of new side-looking airborne radar), reduction of radar signature and extension of armaments range. Nowadays, they carry out works in India in order to include the aircraft version of supersonic cruise missile “BrahMos” into armament of Su-30MKI, which will probably make it the most powerful striking complex of tactical aviation in the world.
Younger Brother
One of the unique peculiarities of Su-30 family consists in the fact that it is not one line developing gradually, but two branches of genealogic tree divided at the very beginning and developed in parallel and independently. The aforementioned Su-30MKI, the same as the original Su-30, has been manufactured at Irkutsk Aviation Plant, the management of which played an immense role in building the plane and promoting it to the Indian market. However, simultaneously with these events the other biggest Russian aircraft factory involved in the manufacture of fighters, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Production Association (now Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Factory), has been developing partnership with China. The biggest contracts were executed for supplying Su-27SK and Su-27UBK fighters thereto, which had been concluded as far back as the last year of the USSR existence. Despite the fact that future measures on organization of licensed production provoked a situation when China abandoned further purchases and launched production of a counterfeit copy – J-11, there is no need to address these transactions negatively, since they provided survival for the Russian aircraft manufacturers during that difficult historical period.
China being in the state of arms race with India got interested in the procurement of Su-30 as far back as 1996–1997, in this case its requirements have been somewhat lowlier, first of all it was required to extend the capabilities of original Su-27 for hitting ground targets by means of guided weapons. Also, the Chinese have planned to continue cooperation with the partners from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and that created certain difficulties, since they had produced single-seater “Sukhoi” aircraft only.
The contract with China for procurement of Su-30MKK was signed in 1999, by that time the work was in full swing already. The plane was built within the shortest possible time, which was, though, favored by the less amount of novelties incorporated into airplane. The visually noticeable differences between Su-30MKK and Su-27UB are the tail fins increased by height with horizontal vertical edge. Needless to say that avionics has been improved, cockpit equipment was renewed, and a possibility of using wide spectrum of guided “air-to-ground” weapons was provided. Though Su-30MKK was preserved to the full extent and the capabilities of “air-to-air” operations were even extended as compared with the original Su-27, it is, first and foremost, the strike machine. The tests of Su-30 from Komsomolsk advanced fast, the first batch was moved to China during the last days of 2000!
Totally, China has acquired 76 Su-30MKK and 24 Su-30MK2, the versions for Coast Air Forces of Chinese Navy with improved avionics, first of all for fighting the surface targets. The further procurements are not planned, but there was no copying as well, though the experience of operation and technical solutions of Su-30MKK/MK2 have been used by China, no doubt, in the development of its family of J-11. One of the newest representatives – J-16, which, seemingly, has just begun to arrive at the armed forces, is considered to be the local analog of Su-30.
Success in the World as a Step to Returning Home
The contracts with India and China made the basis for two branches of development of Su-30 and laid a robust foundation for further development, however, if everyone confines himself to these contracts only, the plane could not have been called with good reason as the main bestseller of the Russian aviation industry.
The Irkutsk machines have strengthened their presence in Asia and penetrated into the Northern Africa. In 2002, negotiations began on supplying a variant of Su-30MKI to Malaysia, and beginning from 2005, to Algeria (initially the latter gave consideration to the aircraft from Komsomolsk, but took a decision in favor of a more sophisticated one from Irkutsk). In both cases, special modifications of fighters have been built for the buyers, Su-30MKM and Su-30MKI(А), accordingly. The main differences consisted in avionics, the Malaysian machine differs by additional systems, in particular, by the sensors registering the plane illumination with laser ranging devices, and by replacing a number of foreign components with politically more convenient; the Algerian one is much more closer to an Indian original (which can be seen from designation), it differs, basically, by the replaced components of avionics produced in Israel with the analogs thereof. Altogether 18 units of Su-30MKM have been procured, and 58 Su-30MKI(А) according to three contracts, the third one was closed in 2015, and supplies have just begun according to it.
The machine, really successful, advanced and free from childhood diseases (solved due to foreign orders, literally) cannot help but interest the Russian Air Force. In 2012, the first contracts were concluded for buying Su-30 from Irkutsk designated Su-30SM for the Russian Air Force. According to information available, the technical concept thereof is based on Su-30MKM with a decreased amount of foreign components and a number of improved components; side-looking airborne radar, ejection seats, etc. By now, the foreign components have been completely replaced with Russian analogs at the planes supplied now. Su-30SM fighters are supplied for export to the closest Russian allies, so Kazakhstan received the first four fighters in 2015, it began training pilots on these planes pending arrival of the new planes, it is planned to bring this number to 32 by the beginning of the next decade. The procurement of Su-30SM for the Air Force of the Republic of Belarus is a possibility in the nearest future.
However, the main buyer of Su-30 now is the Russian Air Force and Navy at last, in a quarter of a century after the first Su-30 began to be assembled at Irkutsk Aviation Plant. In general, by the end of 2016, 116 planes (88 for Air Force, 28 for Navy) have been contracted already; additional orders are to be expected. It is not impossible that the number of Su-30SM in the Russian Air Force will come close to 200 units. At the end of 2016 the “landmark” of the Russian Air Force, the aerobatics aviation group “Russkye vityazi” have changed their planes for Su-30SM.
Beginning in the spring of 2016, Rosoboronexport deals with promoting to the world market a new version of Su-30, namely, Su-30SME, which differs, most probably, from its predecessors by the above mentioned improvements incorporated into Su-30SM. In case of advances with the Russian-Indian “Super Sukhoi”, the improvements proven thereat will be most probably incorporated with the other users too, and the fundamentally renovated version of new-generation Su-30MK will be promoted for export.
The machines from Komsomolsk being cheaper and simpler have gained a greater spread, they have been procured by Venezuela (24 planes), Vietnam (the biggest buyer after China – 60 planes), Indonesia (11 planes) and even such exotic country as Uganda (six planes). There were orders for the Russian Air Force too, though, they were relatively small: 20 Su-30М2 planes have been procured. They have replaced Su-27UB in the air force units that have used up service life most of all; the load is especially high on the two-seater planes since they are periodically used for training young pilots and skills restoration after any interval in flights. In this case, a relative proximity of Su-30М2 equipment and capabilities and Su-27SM that have passed overhaul and upgrading is also to the good.
At the present moment the production of Su-30 from Komsomolsk is stopped, at the end of 2016 the last Su-30MK2 from Vietnamese order left the factory. From now the factory will entirely focus on the production of the 5th generation Т-50 fighters and on maximum development of Su-35S as the member of Su-27 family. At that, Su-35S is not only produced for the Russian Air Force, but started to be supplied for export – the contract was closed with China for 24 planes, a coordination of transaction with Indonesia is expected. Besides, it is impossible to fully exclude a resumption of production in case of receiving new orders. So, Venezuela demonstrated interest in buying an additional batch, however, the difficult economic situation in the country is an obstacle there.
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Though Su-30 was contemplated as a small upgrade of the combat trainer for the needs of air defense, it was reborn in the years most difficult for the aviation industry of the country to become the export-oriented multi-purpose machine featuring high striking and unique maneuvering performance. It has not only returned home as the production- and army-proven backbone of a new appearance of the Russian Air Force, but has shown itself in the markets of the whole world. Now Su-30 is not only a symbol and bestseller of the Russian military export together with Т-90 tank and air defense missile systems of S-300 family, but the most mass-produced and sold heavy fighter in the world.
