India first nation to get Su-30MKI

http://www.indiatimes.com/toit/12indi16.htm

India first nation to get Su-30MKI
By K.R. Sreenivas

The Times of India News Service

BANGALORE: India will become the first country to have the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, two-seat, multi-purpose fighter, the Russo-Indian variant, which has enthralled the Bangloreans at the Aero India-2001 with its manoeuvrability.

The Su-30 MKI is an upgrade over the Su-30 and is with the Russian Airforce only. The Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association (IRKUT), which is going to co-produce the Su-30 MKI in partnership with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), will deliver the first aircraft to India by 2004-2005, after which HAL will commence licenced production of 140 Su-30 MKIs.

The Su-30 MKI did not fly on Saturday as it was a rest day for ace test pilot V.I.Ayeryanov. It is scheduled to fly on Sunday.

IRKUT spokesman Vitoli Zelenkov, told The Times of India that the Su-30 MKI is better than the F-22s produced by the Americans. Also, the characteristics of radar in the Su-30 MKI matches that of the F-22s.

The Sukhoi which attains a maximum speed of 2 mach and a minimum speed that is virtually static, is a next generation aircraft. The F-22s, though have been tested, have not been used in the American Air Force, Zelenkov said.

The Su-30 MKI's manoeuvre characteristics, achieved exclusively by air dynamic means, combined with the engine thrust vector control system enable pilots to carry out aerobatics without any limitations even at a negative speed and without flight trajectory air dynamic reference.

The aircraft with its tail-slide acrobatics, complicated beyond-critical manoeuvres as the horizontal and vertical (Cobra) dynamic breaking as well as the turning dynamic breaking (hook), has had its first international presentation at the aero show in Bangalore and has caught the imagination of several countries already.

In addition to the features of the Su-27UB and the Su-30 aircraft, the Su-30 MKI is capable of long-range precision guided air-to-surface systems capability, and BVR bombing.

To deliver strikes against ground targets, the aircraft operates precision guided stand-off air-to-surface missiles. It can also engage several targets simultaneously.

[This message has been edited by Dron (edited 13-02-2001).]
[This message has been edited by Dron (edited 13-02-2001).]