krishnan wrote:What is SU 32? A new version of Su 30?
Deleted.
Apologies.
I stand corrected as pointed out by Rahul M ji below.
More info in
Yefim Gordon, "Sukhoi Su-27: Famous Russian Aircraft (Famous Russian Aircraft Series)"
Publisher:Midland Counties | ISBN: 1857802470 | Illustrated edition (December 1, 2007)
Here is another link
http://www.sci.fi/~fta/Su-30.htm
Quote
Fighter Aicraft
Su-32FNSukhoi Su-30/32/34
By Easy Tartar
Date: 18 August 1997
Subj: Su-30/32/34 Update Report
The Su-32"FN", originally designated the Su-34, has been on the world scene for several years but only at this year's Paris Air Show did the West get a chance to look at the details of its cockpit, crew-station and its remarkable flight-handling characteristics in a competitive air show environment. It could be said that initially both Sukhoi and Roosvoorzhenie (the Russian Export Commission) wanted to keep the thrust-vector-control Su-37 from stealing the debut of the Su-32"FN" at Paris and hence delayed its arrival until the end of the show-week, but in all fairness, it appeared that political and technical problems hampered the release schedule of the Su-37.
Su-32"FN" has been characterized by Sukhoi as a "specialized strike fighter" and "a reliable guardian of sea borders". It would be, according to Western terminology, a "missionized reconnaissance-maritime-strike platform" intended for around the clock operations to search for, detect, classify, and then destroy, if necessary, waterborne or submarine targets. It is boldly advertised as the potential successor to the Su-24, F-111, S-3A, RF-4E, EF-111A, A-6E, EA-6A, Tornado GR4, and the F-15E. And guess what, on the brute force merits as a platform, it definitely might be.
Program Manager and Chief Designer for the Su-32"FN" is Rollan Martirosov who states that the key difference in the "FN" is its highly automated airborne radio-electronic equipment which will provide broad reconnaissance and combat capabilities. It is also capable of automated terrain following. A production order for 12 x Su-32"FN"s is expected to keep Sukhoi's line open until 1999. Many cockpit improvements were made that included K-36 ejection seats.
The Su-32"FN" has 12 armament/store stations and can carry the entire inventory of standoff weapons as well as up to four air-to-air missiles. The total weight for armament comes out to around 8,000 kg (17,600 lbs) with a flight range of around 4,000 km (2,160 nm), increased up to 7,000 km (3,777 nm) with in-flight refueling. It is noteworthy to mention that the Su-32"FN" can carry and employ the UPAZ air refueling store, so one Su-32 could refuel from another. External wing-tip mounted Sorbtsya ECM pods can also be carried.
One of the most fascinating features about the Su-32"FN" is its large side-by-side crew station that contains the left command-pilot and right navigator-armament operator's stations. It is a fully pressurized cabin that allows flight up to 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) without oxygen, hence it could effectively be a shirt-sleeve environment for the crew, but they still lack a cabin-module as in some F-111's. Standard K-36DM ejection seats are utilized with ejection being made upwards after the explosive destruction of the large main canopy.
Sukhoi designers believe that the cabin environment provides the pilot and navigator with conditions for good combat teamwork. It has been optimized for long-range patrol missions with multiple air refuelings extending to ten to fourteen hours. Once you enter the cabin from the built in stairs, you close up the entry area to access a small crew kitchen with a refrigerator and food-heating unit, a sewage disposal "john", and a first aid station that could serve as a place to laydown and sleep. For one of course.
This extended crew compartment also houses primary radio and navigation equipment as well as the ammunition box for the Gsh-301 cannon. Ammunition can then be interestingly exchanged for additional provisions. Beyond the crew station is the main integral fuel tanks and the main engine boost-pumps.
The Su-32"FN" is fitted with the "Sea Snake" avionics suite optimized for surface search, anti-surface warfare, mine-detection, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare. The active radar is designed to ensure detection of waterborne targets and submarine wake trails within a dispersion area of more than 3,000 sq.-meters from 150 km range at high altitude. The "Sea Snake" is also capable of detecting airborne targets, including small ones, low over the sea out to 200 to 250 kilometers. The "FN" is equipped with an integrated GLOSNOSS/GPS navigation and with its secure datalink can serve as a search-and-rescue coordinator or a maritime environment monitor.
The avionics suite has an extended architecture of computers, memory boards, color multi-function displays, and processors designed as self-contained information processing modules. They consist of large "Argon" digital computer units with specially programmed processors that use multiplex data-exchange channels. All information modules are controlled by a dual central computing system that fully coordinates workload and provides all relevant information to the flight deck. Two-way data link enables the mission planning and weapon aim-point computations to be loaded or updated while in flight or aircraft to aircraft.
According to Martirosov, Sukhoi utilized a high reliability modular approach that could complete most combat missions with a partial failure of any module. The avionics suite is also tailored to specific customer requirement with capabilities added or deleted. Western avionics could also be added at anytime.
When the aircraft is engaged in a maritime mission, the main weapon systems functions are performed by the onboard coherent radar, transmitting sonobouys, information provided by offboard data link, an onboard infrared/TV imaging system and a laser rangefinder. Target detection is carried out primarily with the help of the radar, in some cases visual contact is made, and the acoustic signatures are relayed by the sonobouys.
To detect submarines, 72 passive sonobouys are allocated in a wide range of frequencies with active directional hydroacoustical buoys and explosive wave generators. Performance characteristics of the Sukhoi sonobouys exceeds American products, according to a Sukhoi representative.
There is also a magnetic anomaly detector employed with the sonobouys while the radar can detect small periscopes just breaking the wave tops. Onboard passive radio-electronic reconnaissance systems operate through the entire usable spectrum.
In November 1995, static testing of the new Su-32"FN" prototype was completed and a simple flight test program was started. Because of the basic commonalty with the Su-27 family, the canard characteristics of the Su-30/33 and 35, and the almost identical handling qualities with its sister Su-34, the "FN" did not require expensive flight qualities testing. Instead, the flight testing focused on the highly automated avionics equipment that would provide it with broad reconnaissance and combat duties.
The all-moving differential canard surfaces have a span of 6.4 meters (21 feet) and an area of some 3 square meters (32 square feet) each. The sweep angle of the leading edge of the canard is 53.5 degrees. Sukhoi literature says that the combination of the front horizontal canards and conventional rear horizontal empennage are intended to ensure good maneuverability and excellent takeoff and landing characteristics with large loads.
In the tunnel under the fuselage between the two engine "pods", there are two tandem hardpoints designed to accept the extra-large anti-ship and air-to-surface munitions. The blended nose has been extended to accept a multi-purpose radar antenna.
The wing consists of a large titanium center-wing section and deployed panels with a leading edge sweep angle of 42°. Leading edge extensions contain defensive avionics bays and on the right side the Gsh-301 single-barrel 30mm cannon is mounted.
The main telescopic undercarriage legs are fitted with a tandem arrangement of large KT-206 tires. The front dual-nose tire semi-levered undercarriage is equipped with KN-27 tires. The main landing gear are retracted on a forward sweep, with a twist of the bogies, into the center section box well. The front gear are retracted rearward into the equipment compartment behind the cabin. This also seals the crew access door which is why the production aircraft adapted ejection seats and a self-destructive canopy for emergency egress. Undercarriage dimensions are 6.6 meters (21.6 feet) for the wheelbase and 4.4 meters (14.4 feet) for the wheeltrack.
An operational mission for the Su-32"FN" begins with a mission planning period that loads into the aircraft's two main computers the coordinates and elevations of every navigation and mission-dependent point from takeoff to landing. At each coordinate-point or time-hack, automatic switching of modes can be accomplished so that the pilots can be hands-off or involved with other parts of the mission. Data link with command aircraft, ground stations, and command ships will be maintained and where line-of-sight limits are reached these communications resort to satellites for expanded coverage. Mission updates can be passed by higher authority anytime during the flight. All types or tactical and strategic ordnance can be utilized with emphasis being placed on long range standoff weapons such as the AS-13/18 Kingbolt cruise missiles, AS-14 Kedge anti-radiation weapon, AS-17 Krypton, Kh-35 Harpoon like anti-ship weapon, and the Kh-41 Moskit long range anti-ship missile.
Su-32FNThe Su-32"FN" remains perhaps the most flexible Sukhoi Flanker platform. It has the power and size to be converted to almost any role imaginable. As a platform it can go slow, fast, high, and low. It maneuvers like a small fighter plane, yet can carry cruise missiles made for bombers. It has range and load capacity superior to a Strike Eagle. The crew station is large and roomy with enough avionics volume to fit any Western or Russian weapon system. A crew member can fly, get up to cook dinner, visit the bathroom, and then stretch out for a nap, all while his buddy is pulling 7.0 G's.
If that were the case, why do you think IAF is going for MMRCA at all? They could have just added a few more Su30MKIs...
), but only in this maximum cases! Like you said
