Su-30MKI: News and Discussion - August 9, 2014

[nevin]

^ still remember the discussions that Austin had with George J regarding the A2A bvr superiority that eurofighter had.

[Austin]

I think because Typhoon is optimised for supersonic regimes of flight and that is where it excels , where as most WVR combat would take place in subsonic regimes where aircraft like Flanker excels and add to that the TVC capability of MKI integrated with FBW , Most likely the MKI would have used TVC to achieve the result.

Since Vishnu wrote it I wont discount it as he is reliable but dont expect trade magazine like Janes or AFM/AW&ST etc to carry that story , You can expect Brits to have Stiff Upper Lip instead of conceding it

[Viv S]

While its always good to hear of Indian aviators doing well abroad, these results are not something that ought to have been released or leaked to the press. And for good reason. The objective of such exercises is to train and to improve together. All such leaks do is sour the environment in which the next set of wargames will be held.

Also for the record, the RoE has a huge impact on these dogfights. Start off at Mach 0.6 at 20,000ft and the odds are heavily in the Sukhoi's favour. Start at Mach 0.9 at 45,000ft and the odds swing just as deeply in the other direction.

In BVR setups, RoEs are usually tilted against the 'Red Forces' which in this case comprised exclusively of EFs, so a positive loss-exchange ratio for the Su-30MKI isn't altogether surprising.

[Austin]

More Gems

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-a ... eststories

The exercises progressed to 2 v 2 engagements with two Eurofighters taking on two Su-30s and 2 v 1 exercises where two Sukhois took on a single Typhoon and vice versa. Notably, in the exercise where a lone Su-30 was engaged by two Typhoons, the IAF jet emerged the victor 'shooting' down both 'enemy' jets.

In all dog fighting exercises, IAF Sukhois were able to turn sharply into the extremely agile Typhoons using their thrust-vectored engines to keep the RAF jets locked in their sights. The Su-30's advanced Infrared Search and Track System (IRST), a passive sensor, which cannot be tracked, proved to be a distinct advantage for the IAF's pilots in close-combat maneuvering. Both the IAF and RAF used the full capabilities of their onboard radars, albeit in training mode, which meant that actual radar frequencies used in combat conditions were never exposed for confidentiality reasons. However, the detection ranges of the radars of both aircraft were not curtailed per se. This was air combat as close to the real thing as possible.

Asked about the performance of IAF pilots in these Large Force Engagements, Group Captain Srivastav told NDTV his pilots performed "fairly well" though "quantifying [the results] is difficult". It was not unexpected for the IAF to "lose" one or two jets (over all the Large Force Engagements put together) given that the movement of each formation was directed by fighter controllers coordinating an overall air battle. Both sides agreed to simulate their Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missiles at 25 miles for offensive missions and 22 miles for defensive scenarios.

[Austin]

While its always good to hear of Indian aviators doing well abroad, these results are not something that ought to have been released or leaked to the press. And for good reason. The objective of such exercises is to train and to improve together. All such leaks do is sour the environment in which the next set of wargames will be held.

Pickup some Western Magazine and if they get such result they would be tom toming it.

Infact the Good US colnel post redflag was bad mouthing IAF with lies till IAF showed the truth of the exercise.

Also for the record, the RoE has a huge impact on these dogfights. Start off at Mach 0.6 at 20,000ft and the odds are heavily in the Sukhoi's favour. Start at Mach 0.9 at 45,000ft and the odds swing just as deeply in the other direction.

If that were to be true then RAF would not have lead itself to an ROE where they are at disadvantage.

ROE is fair to both parties and if IAF pilots managed to get better off in WVR then full credit to them , Any fighter aircraft is as good as the pilots that fly it

[srin]

BTw one food for thought, Maintenance cost of M2000 has been 3x of Mig29 (for a fleet that is 60%, although at very availability rate). The upgrade was also more than 2x for M2000 compared to Mig29. Does this say anything about the lifetime cost of SU30MKI and Raf? The only thing where MKI come costly is that probably it gulps $10,000 PER HOUR more gas. That's about it.

Can you please provide the source for maintenance cost & availability rates of M2000 and Mig-29 ?

[Viv S]

Pickup some Western Magazine and if they get such result they would be tom toming it.

Infact the Good US colnel post redflag was bad mouthing IAF with lies till IAF showed the truth of the exercise.

Who says we must take our cues from 'western magazines'? Do western magazines have the best interests of the concerned air force at heart?

And for the record, even the good colonel was addressing a group of retired aviators rather than a press conference. And IIRC he was disciplined for that (i.e for being recorded).

If that were to be true then RAF would not have lead itself to an ROE where they are at disadvantage.

ROE is fair to both parties and if IAF pilots managed to get better off in WVR then full credit to them , Any fighter aircraft is as good as the pilots that fly it

These are assumptions you're making about the RoE. The objective of these exercise is not to determine who's the better pilot or the better air force. That should have been amply clear by now.

[Austin]

These are assumptions you're making about the RoE. The objective of these exercise is not to determine who's the better pilot or the better air force. That should have been amply clear by now.

What ever be the ROE it wont be unfair to the other side it has to be fair.

So if IAF came out better withing the ROE Kudos to them !

[Viv S]

What ever be the ROE it wont be unfair to the other side it has to be fair.

So if IAF came out better withing the ROE Kudos to them !

The objective of the RoE is not be fair it is to enable a productive training exercise.

And the point is even when the IAF does well in a bilateral exercise, the media doesn't need to be given the specifics. For good reason.

[Austin]

The objective of the RoE is not be fair it is to enable a productive training exercise.

And the point is even when the IAF does well in a bilateral exercise, the media doesn't need to be given the specifics. For good reason.

How can you have any thing productive or learning experience to begin with without having a fair ROE.

If you read upon BFM done in many bilateral exercises and AFM/AI has carried many such article the ROE includes all regime of flight and includes one to one and one to many and many to many engagement , both sides gets fair chance in BFM and all exercises are done in friendly training exercises with opportunity to learn and share.

[Viv S]

How can you have any thing productive or learning experience to begin with without having a fair ROE.

How can you prepare a pilot for adverse circumstances without placing him in adverse circumstances?

If you read upon BFM done in many bilateral exercises and AFM/AI has carried many such article the ROE includes all regime of flight and includes one to one and one to many and many to many engagement , both sides gets fair chance in BFM and all exercises are done in friendly training exercises with opportunity to learn and share.

Actually I have read plenty about BFM and it isn't always fair, especially where the objective is not to be fair. Blue Forces for example usually triumph over Red Forces, which would clearly be a non-starter if both sides be strengthened to parity.

Let me put it another way - if the Su-30MKI is that much better than the EF at BFM then by definition the RoEs are unfair and should be tilted against the Sukhoi (the same way that the F-22 always fights with one hand tied to give its opponents a fighting chance). In this case (if the kill ratios are accurate), the setups were likely lower speed encounters and kept so since they're safer and easier to conduct.

(And I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a wet blanket anti-jingo here.)

[andy B]

VivS gotta agree with you bhai. I am absolutely sure that the IAF did very well in this encounter and held its own. But to come out saying that IAF came out with 12-0 wins etc just sounds silly especially based on extrapolating quotes made by pilots into facts!

I mentioned the article talks about IRST for rambha and the benefits it gives well check out the link below all typhoons have their pirate sensor and they look like late tranche typhoons which means upgrades to captor software as well given RAF has been spending more than the other euro partners for greater capabilities to be available earlier.

Rambha would certainly have some advantage noting the additional backseater and ofcourse tvc but hard to imagine complete domination against a well established upto date typhoon force.

http://m.aviationweek.com/blog/exercise ... tish-skies

[kit]

Interesting. . Now with rafale = typhoon .. and the MKI being at least equal in a broad way .. more MKI instead of the Rafales? ??

[member_20453]

Well, I think we should really scrap the Rafale deal and order around 60 more Super MKI with Brahmos/Nirbhay ability to add to the 40 already on order which will also have this ability. I think we need at least 100 MKI which are Brahmos/Nirbhay capable.

[Austin]

How can you prepare a pilot for adverse circumstances without placing him in adverse circumstances?

Like I said there are multiple BFM combination tried and different scenario tried , Not all scenario's are favourable for each particular types , but the overall BFM is played in equal chances in the end and pilots tactics and training also matters.

Its not necessary that the aircraft is bad in scenario where EF did badly its just that the pilot was not upto the task or could not take advantage of it and its not a down on the pilot , they can learn from mistakes and thats what these BFM is for.

Let me put it another way - if the Su-30MKI is that much better than the EF at BFM then by definition the RoEs are unfair and should be tilted against the Sukhoi (the same way that the F-22 always fights with one hand tied to give its opponents a fighting chance). In this case (if the kill ratios are accurate), the setups were likely lower speed encounters and kept so since they're safer and easier to conduct.

ROE favours both its not just the aircraft at play here but also the skills of pilots and tactics are tested but in friendly environment , Note the comment from Grp Cpt Ashu Srivastav

Group Captain Ashu Srivastav, the Contingent Commander in the exercises, told NDTV that the performance of his pilots was "exceptional." According to Group Captain Srivastav, who happens to be the IAF's most experienced Su-30 pilot, his pilots showed "flexibility and adaptability to a new environment and operating conditions and on this benchmark, I would rate them exceptional."

2. Group Captain Srivastav told NDTV his pilots performed "fairly well" though "quantifying [the results] is difficult".

[Austin]

Well, I think we should really scrap the Rafale deal and order around 60 more Super MKI with Brahmos/Nirbhay ability to add to the 40 already on order which will also have this ability. I think we need at least 100 MKI which are Brahmos/Nirbhay capable.

They wont because Rafale is targetted at different segment in IAF squadron structure

[Philip]

The next avatar of the MKI,into a "Super-Sukhoi" whatever, were BMos,Astra and perhaps even the hinted LR AWACS killer AAM of sev. hundred km range will be carried by the aircraft,will give it an outstanding capability vs the two Eurocanards. Even the MIG-29UG/35 is supposed to be even better in dogfighting than an MKI,its performance at a Farnborough air show was suppose At a previous air show,I asked the Typhoon gent RAF pilot,about it and he said that he had flown almost all types,but "nothing flies like the MIG-35".The Typhoon's USP was its sensor fusion,the best of the lot he claimed.

There is no harm in acquiring more sqds. of these two types,v.cost-effective.Ultimately,apart from sensors,giving one the advantage of detection firstscenarion in a BVR ,and dogfighting capability in a WVR spat,it is the weaponry carried that will "deliver" the goods,pun intended. The type of AAMs,ASMs that our fighters will carry across the board vs that of the enemy will matter much.

[member_20453]

Well, I think we should really scrap the Rafale deal and order around 60 more Super MKI with Brahmos/Nirbhay ability to add to the 40 already on order which will also have this ability. I think we need at least 100 MKI which are Brahmos/Nirbhay capable.

They wont because Rafale is targetted at different segment in IAF squadron structure

We'll see what happens, one can always rely on Dassault to ****** it up. Actually, allowing IAF to continue in its dream state thought process over the last 10 years is one of the biggest blunders in modern air force history.

[arthuro]

Why IAF is pushing so hard for more rafales if the SU30 could perform as well for cheaper in all missons ?

[shiv]

I am no expert but combat exercises are designed to simulate real combat. From what I have read real combat is more than simply detecting and tangling with the adversary. It would be wrong to think that there is no stress or difficulty if no dogfight occurs. As far as my reading goes, combat involves getting from place A to B and back, managing one's fuel so one does not have to ditch en route if one gets held up by 15 minutes of combat. That apart energy management is another issue - so an adversary who comes in from an area where he requires a defender to use a lot of energy (turning, accelerating, manoeuvring) is causing the latter to burn more fuel - which in turn may compromise his ability to get home safe. So "success" is not just in terms of shooting the other guy down but may be in simply getting away without combat after doing a particular job - say attack or recce. So every minute of the sortie will have stresses built in and it's not like everyone has an easy time until they tangle and get a shot at the other guy.

[Karan M]

The Su-30 MKIs performance in BVR and WVR is a good plus and should shut up all those UK PR folks who were busy saying Typhoon is x Gen better and what not.

In this exercise it was basically > than the Typhoon in classic WVR when employed to its strengths and matched it in BVR with an edge due to the IAF pilots skill.

The key real world advantage for the Typhoon would be the Meteor - it would expand the Typhoon envelope substantially.

As regards the bellyaching of the IAF folks revealing all this and what not, the RAF did it first.

After the last Indradhanush in UK, the RAF made a comment saying "after what we have seen of the Su-30 MKI, we can handle it no problem" - check EF promotional mags. Actual quote from one of their sq leaders. This when Su-30 MKI neither used radar or displayed TVC.

RUSI went on to brag in its magazine about how Typhoon was superior to the Su-30 MKI etc etc based on the same dodgy examples.

In short, stop with the bellyaching about the IAF and realize how capable the Flanker class platform is today and the potential it has after upgrades.

The Rafale purchase was basically to mitigate the risk of the Su-30 MKI when it was having severe serviceability and tech integration issues. Now those are addressed and in resolution, so that's another plus and which is why GOI is not going to be so desperate for the Rafale either.

[Singha]

the su30 with APG82 & F100-220 engine would be so much better...uptime would probably improve with no special actions. glue in some meaty wingtip jammers and a towed decoy + 12 Astra mk1 in dual racked pylons + 6 python5

time to put some heat on target.

[Karan M]

the su30 with APG82 & F100-220 engine would be so much better...uptime would probably improve with no special actions. glue in some meaty wingtip jammers and a towed decoy + 12 Astra mk1 in dual racked pylons + 6 python5

time to put some heat on target.

http://www.oneindia.com/india/hal-condu ... 50389.html

http://i.imgur.com/KcAa7XF.jpg

The tests were carried out for nine configurations, including clean configuration, with bombs (2 tons) at station 1 & 2 (centerline of the aircraft), with BrahMos missile at the newly-developed station 13, R-27 missiles at station 3-6, R-73 missiles at station 7-10 and SAP518 pod (ECM jamming pod) at station 11-12.

Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/hal-condu ... 50389.html

[Austin]

As regards the bellyaching of the IAF folks revealing all this and what not, the RAF did it first.

After the last Indradhanush in UK, the RAF made a comment saying "after what we have seen of the Su-30 MKI, we can handle it no problem" - check EF promotional mags. Actual quote from one of their sq leaders. This when Su-30 MKI neither used radar or displayed TVC.

Not to mention this comment from RAF chief at that time

https://in.news.yahoo.com/british-typho ... 35986.html

if Britain's air chief is to be believed. 'Well, they lost,' was Stephen Dalton's response when IANS asked how the Russia-developed India-manufactured Su-30MKI air superiority jets performed against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Typhoons when they matched their wits during the joint exercises in recent years.

When IAF says we were better off this time the usual folks here get a deep takleef accepting IAF pilots can achieve this and trying to run around with semantics....strange I can understand some Brits getting takleef with this result.

[brar_w]

I think because Typhoon is optimised for supersonic regimes of flight and that is where it excels , where as most WVR combat would take place in subsonic regimes where aircraft like Flanker excels and add to that the TVC capability of MKI integrated with FBW , Most likely the MKI would have used TVC to achieve the result.

Since Vishnu wrote it I wont discount it as he is reliable but dont expect trade magazine like Janes or AFM/AW&ST etc to carry that story , You can expect Brits to have Stiff Upper Lip instead of conceding it

The Typhoon developers have a nice and thick report (The Germans anyway) filed nicely somewhere that showed how the X-31 used its pitch and yaw vectoring to great advantage in a pure turn dogfight against a DACT adversary without that capability. From a pure BFM stand-point there was pretty much a unanimous approval for its addition to fighters that already turned very well such as the Viper and Eagle as it would give them the best of both worlds when tied into the FCS with proper limitations (From the hornet 'lessons learned' I would presume). Much like the way USAF advanced its legacy fleet, I suspect the Euro-Nations made a strategic call of investment in other "Key Performance areas" such as an E-SCAN radar, Meteor Missile and a near BVR ranged ASRAAM as opposed to the TV system they developed (I think the Spanish did that). From a pure dogfighting point of view 3D TVC does help out a great deal especially if you have a fighter that in its altitude and high speed maneuverability is considered second only to the F-22A while being ahead of (from what I recall) the raptor in certain envelopes at altitude and speed.

There used to be an Unclass. version of the X-31 report on NTIS but I haven't been able to find it..Still looking for it though..I believe the VISTA studies on the Viper also had similar conclusions and recommendations.

The Typhoon designers really went out and designed a fighter in the F-15C, F-22A envelope i.e. a lot of the performance drivers were the performance requirements at the 35,000+ Feet and Mach 1+ flight..A key envelope for the Aim-120C and Meteor launches. The F-22 had a similar strategy with the cranking requirement (Mach 1.5 sustained G requirement posted earlier) but the very large control surfaces and Thrust Vectoring make it an impressive performer at lower altitudes and lower speeds.

Lesson? - Don't get into a dogfight with an advanced Flanker without having considerable tactical advantage (numerical advantage, energy advantage, weapons advantage, fuel state advantage etc etc)..Hardly something that wasn't known already .

[Viv S]

When IAF says we were better off this time the usual folks here get a deep takleef accepting IAF pilots can achieve this and trying to run around with semantics....strange I can understand some Brits getting takleef with this result.

What semantics? Its just plain fact. Yes we weren't the ones to set the precedent, but as a rule we should still not be giving out loss-exchange ratios or similar specifics to the media. Its good fuel for internet debates and welcome to us on the forum, but we are not a segment that needs to be catered to. (That's assuming that the leaks were deliberate, because the IAF's official comments on the matter were fairly bland.)

[Singha]

time to head over to AFM forums to see if any khujli has started

[Viv S]

Aviation Week article -

Indian Flankers And British Typhoons Dogfight In U.K. Skies

Indian Flanker deployment tests Typhoon’s mettle in visual-range air combat
Aug 6, 2015 Tony Osborne | Aviation Week & Space Technology

Britain’s Eurofighter Typhoons have been dogfighting against one of the Russian-built threats they were designed to defeat. But at a time when the relevance of within-visual-range (WVR) air combat is again being questioned, after the dismal performance of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter against a fighter 40 years its senior, it is unclear whether the Typhoon had the upper hand against the Indian air force’s Sukhoi Su-30s.

The last time the Typhoon battled against the Su-30 on home turf was in 2007, during the first U.K.-based Indradhanush exercise. At the time, the Typhoon was still an immature warplane with the RAF, which was then building up experience on the type. The Su-30 crews were primarily working with Panavia Tornado F3s, and the Su-30s were hampered by their inability to use their NIIP N011M Bars radar system.

There were also concerns that the U.S. was using one of its RC-135U Combat Sent electronic-intelligence platforms during the 2007 exercise in a bid to gain information about the radar.

This year, however, the situation was markedly different. Both the Typhoon and Su-30MKI have matured, and Indian crews were able to use their radars. The Indians also made regular use of “super-maneuverability” provided by the Sukhoi’s 3-D thrust vector control (TVC) system.

“There were no restrictions on this exercise; we had full freedom,” says Indian air force Group Capt. Ashu Srivastav, who led the Indian contingent to the U.K.

Pilots from both sides refused to comment directly on comparisons of the two aircraft and which, if any, enjoyed an advantage, although one British pilot describes the two aircraft as being “equally comparable.”

“You can only read and brief so much about the Flanker, but it’s not until you are up in the air with them, and against them, that you see what a great aircraft it is,” says Wing Cmdr. Chris Moon, head of the RAF’s 3 Sqdn., the lead British unit for the exercise.

“These are two of the best dogfighters in the world. . . . One is predominantly a rate [of turn] fighter, and the other is a high-alpha slower-speed fighter,” says Moon, describing the Typhoon and Flanker, respectively.

Srivastav, an Su-30 pilot with more than 2,000 hr. on the type, says the Typhoon enjoyed very high rates of turn but adds, “we have a counter for that.”

One Indian pilot tells Aviation Week that they had used the yaw capability of the TVC to remain inside the tight turn radius of the Typhoon in order to keep the Typhoon within missile launch parameters.

It was agreed before the exercise that they would simulate common ranges for both BVR and WVR missiles, rather than the ranges of the actual missile type used on each aircraft.

[shiv]

When IAF says we were better off this time the usual folks here get a deep takleef accepting IAF pilots can achieve this and trying to run around with semantics....strange I can understand some Brits getting takleef with this result.

Time to put it on Twitter - which I have done

[ramana]

Wonder if the LCAs Mk2 be used in a face off with Su-30MKIs to see how they fare!

[Bharadwaj]

The first exercise where rambha gets to use all her fangs she hands out a beating... I used to laugh at the MKI instead of rafale brigade as a bunch of simpletons but I am now joining it. Dump the rafale deal and get more Sukhois.

[nachiket]

Wonder if the LCAs Mk2 be used in a face off with Su-30MKIs to see how they fare!

They'll definitely do that once the Mk2 is operationalized in the IAF. Pretty sure they'll do that with the Mk1's as well. I remember AVM Masand's article about the DACT exercises between the Mig-29s and M2k's that were conducted when the Migs were first inducted. Unfortunately we'll never know what happens unless someone like AVM Masand writes an article about it, years later.

[nachiket]

The Typhoon will enjoy a higher STR due to its high t:w ratio and probably higher ITR as well. But that's something the IAF will have already known. Even the degree of the advantage would be known thanks to the 2007 exercises. So they already had tactics prepared to counter that this time. Good going.

Wonder if they trained against IAF Mig-29's in order to test their tactics before the exercise. The Mig-29 also enjoys a very high t:w ratio and high turn rates. Probably the only aircraft in IAF inventory that can give the MKI a run for its money. A good stand -in for the Typhoon. MKI vs Mig-29 must be a hell of a dogfight. Only problem being that the Mig will run low on fuel very soon and will have to disengage.

[Bharadwaj]

time to head over to AFM forums to see if any khujli has started

https://twitter.com/Rotorfocus

The @RoyalAirForceUK tells me that its analysis of #Indradhanush "does not match what has been reported" by Indian publications

The RAF Khujli has started big time... They should not have been dancing up and down after the last time. The Iaf looks to have more than gotten back for that typhoon pr stunt.

[Karan M]

When IAF says we were better off this time the usual folks here get a deep takleef accepting IAF pilots can achieve this and trying to run around with semantics....strange I can understand some Brits getting takleef with this result.

You said it. Looks like some brown sahibs are unable to digest the fact that the Flanker & IAF combination is a hard one to beat & that for all their big talk of IAF shouldn't do this, that, the great lawds did it first.

time to head over to AFM forums to see if any khujli has started

Major khujli anticipated especially from the Brit-Paks, all those TSP wallahs now settled in UK and more green than the greenies themselves. And now they'll be going even "greener".

[Karan M]

time to head over to AFM forums to see if any khujli has started

https://twitter.com/Rotorfocus

The @RoyalAirForceUK tells me that its analysis of #Indradhanush "does not match what has been reported" by Indian publications

The RAF Khujli has started big time... They should not have been dancing up and down after the last time. The Iaf looks to have more than gotten back for that typhoon pr stunt.

LOL at their "analysis" - there is a common theme amongst all these folks - they are simply unable to accept the fact that they came out second best even if its the honest thing. At least the USAF guys were open about their experience after the rest of the USAF community was reportedly grilling them that they lost to them injuns and what not. So they volunteered their info to Av Leak to set the record straight. That didn't stop that dude who didn't even take part in Red Flag from shooting his mouth off of about the IAF contingent though, even revealing stuff about the F-22 and USAF issues with EW and what not.

[member_27581]

time to head over to AFM forums to see if any khujli has started

Sshh...we are conducting these exercises because of British tax payer aids given to us. Old masters may take that back...Instead of space program and this we should build more toilets.

[Viv S]

You said it. Looks like some brown sahibs are unable to digest the fact that the Flanker & IAF combination is a hard one to beat & that for all their big talk of IAF shouldn't do this, that, the great lawds did it first.

I assume the sideways 'brown sahib' slur is directed at me. For record, I thought the USAF officer's chest-beating on Red Flag on record even in a closed briefing was unprofessional. The RAF chief's statement, though very complimentary about IAF pilot training and standards, was unprofessional. The French pilots' statements vis a vis ATLC DACT were unprofessional. To justify it when it comes from the IAF (assuming Vishnu Som got it from an IAF source) would require one to ape the west i.e. following in the footsteps of the 'great lawds'.

[Karan M]

It wasnt a slur but a compliment melawd, gustakhi maaf. Go on their forums and bellyache about all this if you must about how (un)professional they are, instead of wasting our time with this drivel which adds nothing to the discussion about the Flanker vs the Typhoon or the stupendous performance by the IAF.

[Karan M]

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-a ... eststories

NEW DELHI: In some of the most intense international air combat exercises ever featuring the Indian Air Force, IAF pilots flying Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters had a resounding 12-0 scoreline in their favour against Royal Air Force Typhoon jets in Within Visual Range (WVR) dogfighting operations.

In subsequent Large Force Exercises (LFE) which featured combined Typhoon and Su-30 formations, the IAF jets were somewhat less successful but consistently held an edge over the Typhoon.
.

Since its written by Vishnu who is on BRF too we can ask him about 12-0 BVR claim , IF TRUE this is quite impressive feat

The big question is if we can integrate more goodies on the Flanker - the Python5 and the Meteor come to mind.
I hope by the end of this year the serviceability stuff is also licked.