Su-30: News and Discussion

bhavani · Post by **bhavani** » 11 Jun 2012 22:25

If the one with the orange head is R-77AE then the others look like R-77SD. Are all the fins on the R-77 with orange one same as the white colored one.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Jun 2012 22:44

AE and SD.. how do you tell the diff? btw, what is the version we have purchased?

VishalJ · Post by **VishalJ** » 11 Jun 2012 23:03

shiv wrote:
Vishal Jolapara wrote:My Latest Photo:
#31 Squadron's Lioness Fully-Loaded
What's on the pylon just inboard of the bombs on the right wing?

I've mentioned the armament details in this photo of mine > http://www.airliners.net/photo/1964070/L/

More of my Su30 photos here: http://vishal.jolapara.in/2012/03/16/sukhoi-su30mki/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Jun 2012 23:11

the MKI could mount a integral conformal laser/nav pod(s) on bottom fuselage either side of the nosewheel bay imo.
and the IRST could be made the OLS50 of pakfa.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Jun 2012 23:49

Yes, OLS-50 upgrade is paramount importance for MKI++, in addition to composite skins and particularly AESA upgrade. I am also waiting to hear on novator 175.

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 12 Jun 2012 08:20

shiv wrote:
Vishal Jolapara wrote:My Latest Photo:
#31 Squadron's Lioness Fully-Loaded
What's on the pylon just inboard of the bombs on the right wing?

It's an R77 with a different colour scheme. To be honest it had me thinking of Novator as the wiki page shows the Novator in the same colour scheme.

Vishal, remember us discussing this at length at 5.30 in the morning? Fun it was.

sarabpal.s · Post by **sarabpal.s** » 12 Jun 2012 11:58

Vishal Jolapara wrote:My Latest Photo:
#31 Squadron's Lioness Fully-Loaded

Very nice Photo indeed

I am very surprise why IAF did not have duel rack Missile launcher specially for Beast like SU30MKI

koti · Post by **koti** » 12 Jun 2012 12:30

It has enough hardpoints to cover any mission profile.
Maybe a dual rack was an overkill.

sarabpal.s · Post by **sarabpal.s** » 12 Jun 2012 18:08

koti wrote:It has enough hardpoints to cover any mission profile.
Maybe a dual rack was an overkill.

overkill, But it can free other.

on the other hand i don't see any harm having duel rack capabilities.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 12 Jun 2012 20:08

nachiket wrote:
Cybaru wrote:That article states 150 MKI's.
There are 7 known MKI squadrons - 2, 8 20, 24, 30, 31 and 102. If all of them are filled to capacity, the total will come to around 140 including reserves. So that number is not far off. I doubt if it is the exact number anyway.

Any idea where they are based ?IIRC

No 2, Tezpur
No 8, Bareilly
No 20, Pune
No 24, Bareilly
No 30, Pune
No 31, ????
No 102 Chabua

Please update

K

Boreas · Post by **Boreas** » 12 Jun 2012 20:39

^^ 31 is also in Pune.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 12 Jun 2012 20:45

sure ?

Jagan thinks it's halwara.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Units ... drons.html

VishalJ · Post by **VishalJ** » 12 Jun 2012 22:08

Dmurphy wrote:Vishal, remember us discussing this at length at 5.30 in the morning? Fun it was.

Kersi D wrote:
Vishal Jolapara wrote:My Latest Photo:
#31 Squadron's Lioness Fully-Loaded
Any idea where they are based ?IIRC

No 2, Tezpur
No 8, Bareilly
No 20, Pune
No 24, Bareilly
No 30, Pune
No 31, ????
No 102 Chabua

Please update

K

Kersi Bhai, su yaar - tamara thi nano & last BR Meet ma nai aivo etle ijjat ni maa ******ni ke?
Photo Remarks ma lakhelu che ne yaar!

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 12 Jun 2012 22:37

Rahul M wrote:sure ?

Jagan thinks it's halwara.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Units ... drons.html

scramble.nl also says Halwara

srai · Post by **srai** » 13 Jun 2012 03:05

Kersi D wrote:
nachiket wrote:...
There are 7 known MKI squadrons - 2, 8 20, 24, 30, 31 and 102. If all of them are filled to capacity, the total will come to around 140 including reserves. So that number is not far off. I doubt if it is the exact number anyway.
Any idea where they are based ?IIRC

No 2, Tezpur
No 8, Bareilly
No 20, Pune
No 24, Bareilly
No 30, Pune
No 31, ????
No 102 Chabua

Please update

K

According to this news article, it mentions Jodhpur (October 2011-):

Now, SU-30 fighter squadron in Jodhpur
TNN Oct 1, 2011, 11.04AM IST

JODHPUR: State-of-the-art premier multirole fighters, SU-30 Squadron of IAF will be stationed at the Jodhpur air base from Sunday.

With this induction, strike capability of IAF in Rajasthan has gained far reaching advantage and the air defence of the country has become impregnable . The squadron taking on to the western skies with its lethal strike force, multirole function and weaponry carrying capability will give unassailable advantage to IAF in this sector, defence spokesperson Col S D Goswami said.
...

Here is another article confirming:

IAF to deploy more fighter aircraft along Pak border
PTI Apr 20, 2011, 09.03pm IST

JODHPUR: Strengthening its presence along Pakistan border, the Indian Air Force will deploy two squadrons of its frontline air superiority Su-30MKI fighter here.

"We have decided to deploy two squadrons of Su-30MKI fighter squadrons in Jodhpur in next two years," South Western Air Command chief Air Marshal A K Gogoi told reporters here.

Gogoi is on a three-day visit to the air force bases in and around Jodhpur.

Jodhpur will be the first Su-30MKI base along the Pakistan border. Till now, the IAF has deployed its main strike fighter in Lohegaon near Pune, Bareilly, and Tezpur and Chabua in Assam.

IAF also plans to deploy the aircraft at its Halwara air base in Punjab.

IAF has started operating Su-30s in high-altitude areas too and its squadrons on a regular basis practice flights from the Leh air base in Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking about strengthening air surveillance capabilities, Gogoi said Medium Power Radars have been deployed under the Command, which will be the first one to use them.

From what it looks to be, here is what the basing will be for the next 5 x Su-30MKI squadrons:

Jodhpur -> No.31 + 1 future squadron = 2 squadrons total
Tezpur -> No.2 + 1 future squadron = 2 squadrons total
Chabua -> No.102 + 1 future squadron = 2 squadrons total
Halwara -> 2 future squadrons

That will bring the total to 12 MKI squadrons (2 each @ Pune, Bareilly, Tezpur, Chabua, Jodhpur, and Halwara). It still leaves another 2 squadrons left to be decided on its basing. We will need to keep a look out for any new base that is mentioned by the IAF in the near future.

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 13 Jun 2012 05:41

Why is it 14 squadron? 272 would translate to 15 squadrons of 18 each right?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Jun 2012 06:26

hopefully Kalaikunda.

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 13 Jun 2012 06:37

The rest 2sq of 14sq Su30 will be deployed in south India i.e, Sulur according to reports.

srai · Post by **srai** » 13 Jun 2012 06:58

Bheeshma wrote:Why is it 14 squadron? 272 would translate to 15 squadrons of 18 each right?

18 is the sanctioned strength for a typical fighter squadron. However, there will be some units kept as deep reserves (fleet-wise); plus, it is likely a 0.5 squadron will be assigned to Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in the near future.

Boreas · Post by **Boreas** » 13 Jun 2012 07:01

AFAIK both Jodhpur and Halwara doesn't have a squadron strength of SU30 yet. Halwara will be having one squadron this year, Jodhpur may be early 2013.

Lion Squadron Location -

The Indian Air Force's 31 Squadron was presented standards by the President in Pune today. The squadron was formed at Pathankot on 01 Sep 1963, and was equipped with French Mystere aircraft. During both the wars with Pakistan in 1965 as well as in 1971, the squadron was extensively employed in the ground attack role in support of the Indian Army on the western front. The squadron operated Mysteres till 1973, and then the Indian made Maruts till 1983 before re-equipping with the MiG 23 which it flew from 1983 till its number plating in Sep 2003. The Squadron was resurrected on 01 Jan 2009 at Air Force Station Pune under the command of Wg Cdr A Srivastav. The Squadron has been the backbone of the IAF's strike force in several Operations including Brasstracks, Meghdoot, Safed Sagar, Parakram and Vijay Chakra. For its gallant role in various operations, the Sqn has earned one Maha Vir Chakra, three Vir Chakras, one Vishit Seva Medal apart from several commendations by CAS and C-in-Cs. The Squadron is now re-equipped with the cutting edge SU-30 MKI multi role fighter, armed with a state-of-the-art radar, avionics, beyond visual range missiles, precision guided ground attack weapons and air to air refueling capabilities increasing the operational capability of the squadron manifold. The unit continues its operational service exemplifying the unit motto; "Shatrum Chhidrey Praharet" meaning, " A kill with every blow".

Sources - Livefist

srai · Post by **srai** » 13 Jun 2012 09:17

^^^

It was raised in Pune in 2009 but in October 2011 it moved to Jodhpur.

Indrajit · Post by **Indrajit** » 13 Jun 2012 09:22

A bit OT but Google Earth is showing a Sqn of M2K at Nal AFS,Bikaner,is it an old info?

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 13 Jun 2012 13:14

I suggest 1 sqdn of SU 30MKI at Port Blair / A&N area and one (or even half) a squadron in Lakshwadeep Islands. The sqdn may be based in say Sulur or Thanjuvar or XYZ with a permanent detachment Lakshwadeep Islands.
K

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 13 Jun 2012 13:18

Vishal Jolapara wrote:My Latest Photo:
#31 Squadron's Lioness Fully-Loaded

How about pics of SU 30 carrying some air to surface missles like Kh 31 and Kh 59 and hkghdfkhgd. ?

How about pics of SU 30 carrying Lightening pod ?

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 13 Jun 2012 13:28

Vishal bhai, thanks for sharing your great photos with us.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Jun 2012 13:51

it will need a new airport in lakshadweep to base a/c there.
the current one is a bare bones place
http://www.traveldealsfinder.com/wp-con ... irport.jpg

I suggest we avoid coral islands of the lakshadweep/maldives variety and instead seek a navair base in a proper volcanic island like Mauritius which is also much further out and hence more valuable as a aircraft carrier. its much bigger and we can pay a handsome price for land.

Madagascar is also a good place to drop anchor in.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 13 Jun 2012 14:05

Kersi D wrote:I suggest 1 sqdn of SU 30MKI at Port Blair / A&N area

A&N was planned but due to Tsunami there sometime back, it was decided that Kalaikunda will take care of A&N.

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defences

and one (or even half) a squadron in Lakshwadeep Islands. The sqdn may be based in say Sulur or Thanjuvar or XYZ with a permanent detachment Lakshwadeep Islands.
K

Being taken care of

The IAF would base Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) with maritime surveillance capabilities along with two squadrons each of the Sukhoi-30 and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at its upgraded air bases in Thanjavur and Sulur in Tamil Nadu.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Jun 2012 14:27

good for securing our brown water.
for green water LRMP and securing sea lanes to africa nothing beats mauritius though. and deep ocean east of madagascar looks tempting as a SSN/SSBN base.

and some of us have a thing for Socotra inspite of the howling winds.

member_20067 · Post by **member_20067** » 13 Jun 2012 19:04

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defenses

the article above says during the Tsunami IAF lost assets... I remember the water came all the up to the runway and washed away a part of it .. but did we loose any aircraft?

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 13 Jun 2012 19:28

Rahul M wrote:sure ?

Jagan thinks it's halwara.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Units ... drons.html

rahul,

the statesman link quotes a 'senior' IAF official and confirms that a squadron of SU 30MKI is based in kalaikunda airbase (30th sept 2011) which is not recorded in the BRF link above. can it be corrected please?

part of the actual quote - We are at present hosting an Su-30 MKI squadron in Kalaikunda, though we cannot divulge much details about its utility. Regular weapons practice, though, is underway with the Su-30 MKIs in Dudhkundi firing range,” said another senior IAF official.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 13 Jun 2012 19:31

Prithwiraj wrote:Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defenses

the article above says during the Tsunami IAF lost assets... I remember the water came all the up to the runway and washed away a part of it .. but did we loose any aircraft?

not sure of the aircrafts lost but the infra was affected which had to be built again besides the loss of 128 men as per shiv aroor.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Jun 2012 21:46

I had seen a photo of a lineup of MKIs from kalaikunda about to roll off flight line for a night exercise.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/de ... isplay.jpg

as you can see atleast 4 planes have pilots in cockpit and about to depart.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 13 Jun 2012 23:38

tsunami will hit again, and perhaps with more vigor... and that is the nature of the terrain and geographic behavior of the place near the bande ache and other island places.

it would be surprising we continue to operate with the same level of preparedness. it is important to raise the runway height to 20ft above sea level - perhaps elevated runways, is the ideal solution... at least assets can be safeguarded.

srai · Post by **srai** » 14 Jun 2012 22:31

SaiK wrote:tsunami will hit again, and perhaps with more vigor... and that is the nature of the terrain and geographic behavior of the place near the bande ache and other island places.

it would be surprising we continue to operate with the same level of preparedness. it is important to raise the runway height to 20ft above sea level - perhaps elevated runways, is the ideal solution... at least assets can be safeguarded.

20ft is not enough ... if you look at last year's Japanese tsunami.

Seawalls Offered Little Protection Against Tsunami’s Crushing Waves

...
The height of seawalls varies according to the predictions of the highest waves in a region. Critics say that no matter how high the seawalls are raised, there will eventually be a higher wave. Indeed, the waves from Friday’s tsunami far exceeded predictions for Japan’s northern region.

...

Here's another article that mentions the height of the waves at some locations.

...
The town of Taro believed it had the ultimate fort - a double-layered 33-foot-tall (10-meter-tall) seawall spanning 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers) across a bay. It proved no match for the tsunami two months ago.
In Fudai, the waves rose as high as 66 feet (20 meters), as water marks show on the floodgate's towers. So some ocean water did flow over but it caused minimal damage. The gate broke the tsunami's main thrust. And the community is lucky to have two mountainsides flanking the gate, offering a natural barrier.
...

Eric Leiderman · Post by **Eric Leiderman** » 15 Jun 2012 00:26

the best defence against a Tsanumi is designed by mother nature, it is called a mangrove. The force of the wave is absorbed by the mangroves.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 15 Jun 2012 00:50

no.. i did not say wall will protect us. I said elevated runway. 66ft elevation is possible... but what is the safest level needed needs to be determined first.. and if mangroves, and other blockers/diverts can help could be also designed... so, if we consider a layered block approach.. then mangroves can take the first hit, and subsequent hits by blocks and the diverted water away from the run ways. may be 20ft is enough then.

yes, mangrove can help a lot.. still elevation is preferred for ops continuity.

otoh, can't we build 3 storied lengthy RCC buildings, and use the special dedicated runways on top?

member_20067 · Post by **member_20067** » 15 Jun 2012 07:17

if we develop a proper Tsunami warning mechanism.like what happened after 26th Dec Tsunami..... all the assets can be airborne at a 15mins to 20 mins notice after Triggering earthquake

srai · Post by **srai** » 15 Jun 2012 07:46

^^^

That will require war-time like readiness 24/7. Not possible if many assets located there.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Jun 2012 07:51

yes a certain % of assets are always in non flyable condition in the midst of repair.

adityadange · Post by **adityadange** » 15 Jun 2012 11:46

one question, maybe silly. i havent come across any material mentioning our MKIs can carry nuclear weapons. Can somebody please tell me whether they are nuclear capable or not?