Countering the Chinese Su 35

Countering the Chinese Su 35

Su 35 The Super Flanker

  Su 35 also known as the ‘Super Flankers’ currently the most advanced fighter serving the Russian Air Force built by (KnAAPO) these fighters perform an array of operation under the Air force. SU 35 is a single-seat, engine, super multirole fighter. The maiden flight of the SU-35 happened on 19th February 2007. 

   The Su-35 had a promising future in the International market, the very first customer to arrive up to a deal with the Sukhoi was the Chinese which was in talks to procure these advanced aircrafts for their Air force. 

    Talks between the Russian and Chinese officials for procuring Su 35 Fighters started way back in 1990 and in 1995 Sukhoi publicly announced its consent to co-produce this aircraft with the Chinese. But due to the troubled of Su 27 in which the Chinese had built a Chinese version of the Su 27 flankers in a reverse engineer program had violated the clauses set by the Russians. The Russians soon blacklisted sales of any advanced weaponry to the Chinese in which the proposed plans to supply Su 35 and Tu 22M maritime bombers were levelled.

   The deal was in dead waters for nearly a decade and later after renewed efforts in 2006, the talks for the purchase of the modernized SU 35 started in the Diplomatic channels. By 2010 Russia restarted talks with China under the Rosoboron export program. 

    In 2011 China publicly announced its willingness to procure these state of the art aircrafts. No announcements have been made in this regard but the negotiations have reached a advance stage and pilots of the Chinese Air Force have been reportedly practicing in Russia which means a deal is imminent.  China needs the most advanced Russian engines specially the 117S which powers the SU35 to develop its own home grown fighter programs.  

   Various reports have emerged that a deal for 24 SU 35 has been finalized but China and Russia have played down these reports stating that a deal is yet to be struck and several technical glitches in the aircraft has so far made the deal lay in stagnant waters.   

 

    With the Su 35’s inducted what would be the scenario when a all out war takes place between India and China? What repercussions will the deal have over the Indian Territory? Well let’s look on flocks!!!!

     Once a war is declared the first wave of aircrafts dispatched by the Chinese Air Force would be the Flankers with their AEWCS which will be battling for air superiority in the Arunachal Region which is the highway to Chinese territory. The Chinese enjoy a upper hand in this region with a well organized supply chain and logistics support which will serve as the backbone to run their forward bases along the Arunachal border. They also enjoy an upper hand in regard to the geographical position of their forward bases.

      India will first face a barrage of Chinese Flankers the Su 27, 30 and 35’s and their clones which will be escorting their AWECS fleet and can operation 24x7 with the help of their FoB. 

  India would first have to set its sight at destroying these FoB’s which only will act as a force multiplier. With the Chinese Flankers and AWECS flocking the air for eager for a kill, deploying a squadron our fighters would not be a wise choice. Rather India will contemplate using the world’s fastest cruise missile, the most dreaded BrahMos to deal with the FOB. 

   With India launching a barge of these missiles will prompt China to launch its own precision missiles against Indian targets. But India will soon opt to firing these advanced weapons in salvo mode and when fired in salvo mode the BrahMos is simply cannot be intercepted. 

   The Anti missile systems deployed by the Indian forces like the SpyDer systems shall take care of the missiles launched by the Chinese at the same time these missiles will pose a serious threat to the Chinese Flankers. Installed deep inside Indian Territory these missile systems cannot be destroyed by the Chinese since they lag any deep strike fighter jets.

      IAF won't risk their pilots to do a SEAD, their main objective would be cutting the supply chain to the Chinese FoB’s and the missiles will take care of them. The BrahMos will be designated to fly in a lo-lo mode this will surely reduce the operational range of the system but will add a pinch of stealth to the missiles. 

   The Chinese will be able to identify the missiles only when the system closes its target and will counter them with land based CIWS systems. Fired in salvo mode the missile is sure to strike considerable damage to the Chinese FOB.which allows the Chinese Fighters forced to withdraw from Indian Air Space.

   With the FoB’s neutralized IAF will then deploy its fleet of MiG 29 and Mirages along with Israeli Phalcon AEWCS. These systems will be engaging aerial threats, with highly maneuverable platforms and the air superiority Su 30’s flying CAP mission across the Indian Borders, Guardians of the Indian skies will enjoy an upper hand. 

   Su 30 armed with lethal Air to Air missiles, will fly in a four to eight delta formation which ensures IAF of complete Air dominance over Indian Territory near possible Chinese infiltration sectors . 

  China will soon dispatch its state-of-art Su 35, to counter the Su30.  The Su 35 is enabled with a rear facing radar which won't provide any assistance during Interception mission but will work well under close combat situations. On the other hand With the AEWCS flotilla being closely guarded by the Mirages, Chinese will try by passing the Indian Flankers with their Super Flankers.  

   With sheer air dominance being enjoyed by IAF the Chinese will have to deploy high number of their Flanker squadrons to sneak through the CAP run by Su 30MKI . With the Flankers in air, IAF aircraft will have to perform lo and hi missions. IAF's Rafale equipped with Spectra and AESA suite provide an upper edge to IAF pilots to engage thus also do a fantastic lo flying missions. Rafale with 360 degree view and bigger combat radius will be the force multiplier of IAF. 

With the Indian Combination of Hi and Lo mission Flights using Su 30 MKI and Rafales IAF will enjoy an upper edge and with the Chinese losing aircrafts, the Chinese will lose their morale in an escalating air battle. The Rafale with their EW spectra suits allows feeding false data into enemy radars and will conceal their positions. 

The J 20 is still in testing and evaluation phase and will be combat ready only by 2022.same for Indian FGFA Program  too.

Trying to gather Air superiority in Indian Territory with its Flankers, will be a mistake on part of the PLAAF and may inflict heavy loses to the PLAAF.  PLAAF till date hasn’t penetrated the Indian airspace till date even though the PLA has time and again violated Indian borders. 

Till date only one incident of India-China scrambling their jets for interception has been reported, in 2012 two Indian Su 30 aircraft made a close pass along the LAC but well within Indian Territory.

The Chinese soon identified the aircrafts and scrambled two of their Flankers, which flew very close to International borders but never engaged the targets.

China has resorted to repeated scrambles across the South China Sea, where it has been intercepting either American or Japanese fighters on an ever heightened scale.  America and Japan have reported that the joint Pacific fleet has intercepted alarming numbers of Chinese Fighters and Recon fighters which fly over the troubled territory often putting International treaties at stakes. No incidents of heightened aggression have been reported from the South China Sea but with China repeatedly violating the airspace of other countries an international incident is imminent. It is important that the Chinese aggression is checked across the table before the situation spins out of hands. 

Rafale in Air Combat Config

The Chinese KJ 2000 AESA AEWCS

Editor Karthik Kakoor