'World's best fighter planes for India

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, JUNE 30. Russia would soon begin assembling the upgraded SU-30MKI multi-role fighters for India, Sukhoi corporation officials told the visiting Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes.

All avionics required for SU-30MKI had been assembled, integrated and tested and would be sent next week to the Irkutsk aircraft factory for installing on the India-bound planes, a Sukhoi avionics designer said after a demonstration flight of the final version plane at Zhukovsky airfield. Delays in procuring Western avionics held up the conversion of Russia's state-of-the-art SU- 30 air defence fighter into the multi-role SU-30MKI.

Mr. Fernandes, who watched a dazzling air display by a modernised SU-30MKI, described the performance as ``terrific'' and ``incredible''. ``I wonder if there's any plane in the world that can compare with the SU-30. My vice-chief of the air staff tells me there's nothing to compare with it,'' he said. Of the 50 deep- strike fighters contracted by India, Russia had delivered 18 SU- 30K planes. Designers say the contract is two years behind schedule because of delays in identifying foreign suppliers of avionics. Mr. Mikhail Pogosyan, head of the Sukhoi corporation, says the contract will now be fulfilled by 2003. Talks on technology transfer for licence production of 140 SU-30MKI aircraft by the state-owned Hindustan Limited are at the final stage and, according to Mr. Alexei Ogarev, head of the Rosvooruzhenie arms exporter, the deal could be expected ``soon enough''.

Privately, Sukhoi officials say India should have gone for Russian avionics, which they say is no worse than foreign- make, if only a little heavier. The SU-30MKI demonstrated to Mr. Fernandes uses only Russian electronic equipment.

``Russian avionics is half the cost of the French system chosen by the Indians for the SU-30MKI,'' an avionics specialist said adding that avionics accounted for over a third of the plane's cost. ``It would be better if we developed avionics equipment jointly with the Indians instead of paying money to third partners.''

The plane's designers said it was the world's best fighter at the turn of the millennium. According to Mr. Viktor Chepkin, who designed the plane's controlled thrust vector engine, no other jet in the world was powered by engines that significantly enhance its combat manoeuverability.

The two-seater twin-engine jet would be armed with eight tonnes of beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and sophisticated long-range precision guided munitions to attract air, ground and surface targets. It has a flight range of 5,200 km with one inflight refuelling. A comparative analysis conducted by the Military Parade magazine between the SU-30MK and the Mirage 2000 showed a 2:1 superiority of the Russian jet against ground and surface targets and a 50 per cent greater interceptor potential.

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