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

The Need of Maitri SAM

The Need of Maitri SAM

The Maitri VL of MICA Naval and Land based System ©Livefist

          The alternate name known for Maitri is Akash MK II, Improved Trishul, VL Mica or famously known as Maitri. It's been a long pending project which was constituted to mainly equip the warships with advanced SR SAM capability which would engage the sea skimming anti shipping missiles and to replace the aging Soviet era missiles in use with the Army and Air force.

           The Indian Naval platform is the largest defence sector covering the large coastal areas of India. Indian navy has a number of Surface ships. These ships have been equipped with various offensive missile suites but these systems have been aged and can no longer engage the tech advanced modern systems.

 These systems can engage hostile targets and destroy the targets at the touch of a button but the system our naval platform lacks is an reliable missile defence systems. Our platforms are currently using the decade old arm launching Kub SAM's which were imported from Russia. The Kub SAM is a radar guided missile which is able shoot down hostile planes and fighters but not the fast moving missiles. For the purpose of shooting down these missiles, navy relies on the CIWS but even these systems are decades old.
 

            The recently inducted Kolkata class destroyers, Talwar class frigates have all lacked a reliable defensive system. These platforms have failed to be equipped with the crucial LR SAM and SR SAM defensive systems. They are currently guarded by the outdated AK 630 CIWS, Kolkata class carry's four and the Talwar class carry's two AK 630 or two Kashtan CIWS batteries, the Talwar are also equipped with the 24 cell Shitil-1 SAM system which can be effective only in the Anti air missions and not for engaging anti sea skimming missiles.

      In the next upcoming up gradation these platforms will be equipped with the more advanced Barak 8 systems. Barak 8 is a new generation Indo-Israeli developed LR SAM which can be used for Anti Air and Anti Sea skimming threats. But the need for the navy would be a SR SAM. The western country naval platform comes with CIWS, SR SAM and MR SAM as the defensive package.

 The Indian naval platforms are being designed with the same package. Frigates are mainly being designated as Air warfare destroyer, which would be mainly designed to escort other naval ships from enemy ship borne and submerged platform threats. This would mandate the Talwar also to need a combination of CIWS, SR and MR SAM.

         While this is a long requirement, Navy has opted for Israeli made Barak 1 system which can be better for similar role but lacks in range, the Barak 1 is capable of engaging targets up to 12 kilometers only. Navy have installed these missiles on all Shivalik class frigates. 

Barak 1 on board the Aircraft carriers acts as the ships primary PMDS, but it's again riddled with the problems of direct import. Too tackle this navy is looking for a JV under which Maitri SAM’s would be procured. The Maitri SAM’s are based on the advanced MBDA MICA air to air Missile.

    Here plans for massive induction of Maitri were drawn for Army's SR SAM requirement. But the requirement was fulfilled with the use of the remodeled SA 6 KUB missile which was later named as Akash system. Army has already issued a tender to acquire anti missile SAM like SOSNA system from Russia.

 The requirements of the Air force are to be taken care of by procuring about 18 batteries of SpyDer SAM. The SpyDer SAM will be directly imported from Israel which will have anti missile capabilities also. Air force has already placed orders for quite a few number of Akash systems too. For the role of a SR SAM the Air force may still opt for Maitri.

           Under a Joint Venture for Maitri there are many agendas Indian and France sides can be benefited with, the MBDA has promised to provide technologies of small seekers which would be used in Air to Air missiles and QR SAM's. The Astra designed by DRDO had failed to obtain the same technology from the Russians and was designed based on the Russian R77 missiles. Russians failed to provide a full ToT for the seeker technology.  

   MBDA has agreed to share the Technology of Terminal homing Guidance, but India has already acquired this technology but the ToT can still strength the knowledge Indian firms have mastered in this field. With a JV we can produce a number of SAM using our local facilities. Clubbing the Barak 8 LR SAM along with Maitri SR SAM which shares a VLS technology with anti missile capability can boost our defensive capability with more advanced systems in the Region

The entire Land based Stand alone  Maitri System ©MBDA

VL of MICA IR and EM Testing ©MBDA

Chart of Maitri Engagement ©MBDA

Editor Karthik Kakoor