ShivS wrote:Would it be fair to say that the Su30’s defensive suite performed better than expected while the offensive component disappointed?
There is too much confusion on this forum despite tons of info posted. Abhis citation was posted earlier as well.
A simple version. Two Flankers were on CAP. One arrived earlier than the other and was low on fuel and had to return earlier than the other. Even so while they were both on station, they were fired upon by 4 Vipers (total of 8, four in lead formation and four behind) who took advantage of SOP of arriving close to the border and not engaging in aggressive acts. By having built up speed, and being at greater height, and having weapons 20% longer ranged they had the virtue of forcing the Flankers on the defensive. The first four launched first. The Flankers could not stay in place or even retaliate as if they did so, they would be bracketed by AAMs. Some three AMRAAMs were launched on them. The Flankers defeated all three. Meanwhile the Mirages up north were also engaged in a similar BVR battle with the JF-17 escort accompanying the Mirage strike package, but the JF-+17s couldn't or wouldn't get close enough to launch on them.
So Avenger 1 despite the odds decided staying defensive was not an option, and undertook a terrific attack on the Vipers. He went to afterburner and raced towards the Vipers to get within a fire and forget missile attack on them. That way he could launch and yet go cold immediately. By doing so, he breached the AMRAAMs minimum abort range, ie he entered its NEZ. His charge unnerved the leading formation of Vipers who went cold. Another Viper from the second formation launched on him, he defeated that and raced out of danger - one can imagine the skill and aggression of the crew, balanced by a literal real time appreciation of the different weapon kinematics and doing exactly what was required.
By this time the IACCS had picked up the second bunch of low flying Vipers and the strike element they were protecting and per SOP and vectored Abhi into the fight, plus other Bisons, other scrambles were underway at airbases further afar. Abhi and his Wingman and the others arrive and their low alt flight was masked by the terrain, throwing the Vipers and AEW&CS into a tizzy. A Viper had actually briefly crossed /approached the LoC to either pick up BDA data on the LGB/H2-H4 strikes (the Flankers had disrupted the whole process and it had all gone haywire) or ambush Avenger formation. Abhi detected the lower flying Vipers with his AI, and we all know what happened thereafter.
Instead of breaking off as the Viper and its accompanying formation went back into PoK, he chased it across informing the IACCS that he was doing so, and confirming the Vipers attempt to come in low. The intermittent communication jamming meant he didn't hear instructions he was crossing the LoC and to break off. The Bison doesn't have a moving map display either, for him to take a quick look and figure out his location. He didn't have the time to do the manual correlation bit either. He was focused on using his AI radar to detect a target, and use his missile armament in passive mode to get a surprise launch.
His Wingman did get the message, and started a maneuver to break away back across the border, assuming Abhi would too, in the process, defeating an AMRAAM launched at him. Its very possible he saw his RWR spike and knew he didn't have an option either.
However, Abhi got tone on his missile armament, having used his radar to detect where the targets were, and to cue his seeker, launched, took down a Viper and got hit by an AMRAAM soon thereafter. Even as he was on afterburner racing back. His missile took out a high flying two seater Viper which literally disintegrated at altitude, forming a debris cloud visible from the ground and the two pilots, one likely wounded by the R-73, ejected. Their parachute colors were very similsr to that of the Indian tricolor and on landing they were likely attacked by their own people and taken to CMH. ISPR started it's cover up.
To add:
Credit for digging out all this goes to sources like BRF member Sqdn Ldr Sameer Joshi, AM Hari Nair, AVM Arjun Subramaniam and CAS rtd Dhanoa and our very own Deejay. I am just pulling together the information to give a big picture view. The real credit belongs to these folks for doing the hard spade work.