Pakistan confirms Su 35 talks with Russia

Pakistan confirms Su 35 talks with Russia

    Officials from Pakistan confirmed to IHS Janes that they were in talks with the Russian arms supplier Rosoboronexport to sell unknown numbers of  Su 35 S fighters, the information was first leaked by the Russian deputy foreign minister Sergi Ryankov that Russia and Islamabad in talks to supply Su 35 Multi role combat aircraft  to the Pakistani Air force, earlier many times Pakistani air force officials talks about the need of twin engine aircraft to counter Indian Air force, the Pakistani officials didn't says about exact timeline of new fighters jets induction, however it's believed they get modern twin engine fighters before 2020.

    The Pakistani air force so far flying only single engine Fighters, which lacks combat radius, sortie rate and survival probability, PAF has a Fleet of modern F 16 Blk 52 fighters, Chinese and Pakistani made JF 17, and older Mirage III and some Russian origin Chinese modified MiG 21's dubbed as  F 7, and France almost stopped it's support to the Mirage platforms, so they have to relies on the F 16 fighter jets, where they get offset and maintenance support from Turkey, even if the US stopped the support,

    As new generation comes, the PAF yet to matured to operate in a long range twin engine heavy fighters, as first they sought the Chinese J 31 fifth generation fighters, the J 31 program is hits a road block after the first flight in 2012, there is no clear progress made in the J 31, while China continuously working on the J 20, as per Initial plans the PAF intended to buy some two squadrons of FC 31, a degraded version of J 31 made by the Chinese, also the Pakistani officials not interested in the Kilmov RD 93 Engines, so they have to move on some other platforms, after many rounds of Talks the PAF Finally selects the Su 35 S Multi role fighter for it's future induction program.

     The PAF has a sight of dominance in the Arabian Sea, where The Indian Navy and Air force always enjoy freedom of Navigation, so far PAF has no real fighters that can bolster the Arabian sea, the F 16 lacks of Range and has no Anti shipping missiles, meantime the JF 17 has such capabilities, JF 17 is capable to carry YJ 12 based Anti shipping missile, however it's  lack of range and questions about it's sea skimming capability, So PAF need a good a good fighter that can capable to launch proven Anti shipping missile from stand off  Ranges, the Su 35 S with Kh 35 is a good option for them, and Russia can ready to sell those missiles to Pakistan if they were willing to pay the money. which helps them to secure the Pakistani Ports from Indian Naval Attack in case of war,

    As per Pakistani analysts, the PAF may get only one squadron of Su 35 S fighters with the Service availability rate of  60% at any time, due to the maintenance issue and cost factors, It's hard to establish a data link between Friendly fighter jets from PAF for situation awareness and co operation, so It's clear the PAF Su 35 may work stand alone mode, a four finger formation of Su 35 fighter is a good show off against any modern Fighter jets, two set of four finger is more enough to pose good deterrence in peacetime asymmetric warfare.

    Meanwhile the Chinese and the Indonesians are the other customers of Su 35, where all of them will buy only two or less squadrons, and Pakistan also gets the reservation, more over it's a good export opportunity for Russia, all these orders would give some $5 billions, while each Su 35 costs some $60 millions, while Pakistan can get some twenty Su 35 S fighters, missiles, offsite support, maintenance, and Spare parts for $1.5 billions, not a big money to spend Pakistan in three years due.

    Those Su 35 S surely pose an threat to Marginal IAF fighter aircraft's. where the current IAF Fighters can keep the Pakistani Air force to keep their fighters in Hanger, the Sukhoi and MiG fleet can control the entire Pakistani Airspace and destroy any PAF fighters if they tries to take off from the runway, if they gets the advanced Su 35 they will never hesitate to confront the IAF fleet, due to it's long range combat radius and radar detecting capability, they can easily pose a show off against Indian fleet at any time.

Pakistan plans to buy the Su 35 S from Russia

Pakistan plans to buy the Su 35 S from Russia

        As Russian State news agency said earlier that they were in talks to export the advanced Su 35 S to several countries, those countries need one or two squadron of such fighters, they earlier relies on the Russian MiG 29 and the Su 27,   as new threats emerging and threat of 4.5gen multi role fighters around their door steps. small countries also pledged to modernize their Air forces, Russia plans to Export those fighters to Indonesia, Algeria, Vietnam and Venezula, also Kremlin does not ruled out  Pakistan in potential export list.

     Pakistan recently confirms that they were in Talks and agreement level to buy Advanced Russian air defense missile system like Tor M and Attack Helicopters Mi 35 and Mi 28,  The Relationship between Russia and Pakistan growing steadily and smoothly, with the involvement of constructing advanced nuclear power plants in Pakistan with the Chinese fund and Russian construction,

     Pakistanis has a squadron of advanced Block 52 variants of F 16, used for Ground attack and Air superiority, although it's a medium multi role Aircraft, used for only in theaters, not for long range strikes, Pakistan also have lesser or zero operational Aerial Tankers to refuel those aircrafts in the Air, the need of Long Range Heavy fighter is a long time wish for the Pakistanis, even if it comes in a handy price or as a offer of credit is more than enough for the Pakistanis.

      Earlier in the 2012, Pakistan requested the Russians to supply a squadron of Su 35, due to the Indian pressure the Russians rejected the Pakistani plea. but due to sanctions and internal economic problems Russia no longer wait to supply most lethal war machines to third world countries, Also it's believed the   Pakistanis can get a squadron of Su 35 S along with Missiles, Bombs, Spare and Ground supports under just a billion dollars. a handy price to show off against Indian Air force.

       The Indian Airforce dominates the Pakistani skies with it's advanced long Range Su 30 MKI along with some support Aircraft like Medium fighters MiG 29 and Mirage 2000, Thus gives the IAF can strike Pakistan anywhere and anytime by forcing their Fighter jets in the ground, due to the heavy in size, larger radar and long range missiles Su 30 MKI can Kill any incoming PAF fighter jets when it's completed it's take off. So Pakistan don't want to risk their combat jets.

       But adding a squadron of Su 35 S will change the scenario completely, a CAP profiled Su 35 can save the Pakistani Borders 24x7 and destroy any incoming fighters at long range. mathematically and theoretically the Su 35 S is more advanced than the Su 30 MKI, in terms of thrust weight and low drag, by  analytics Su-35 has 16% more thrust, 20% less weight and 20% less drag. Overall it's 56% aerodynamically better than Su-30 MKI, So it's clear IAF forced to use the Next generation stealth fighters to counter the Advanced Su 35 operated by the Pakistanis.

        Even if the Pakistanis signed the contract with Russians to supply the Su 35S. it expected that they will Deliver only after delivering much modern Fifth Generation PAK FA T 50 to Indian Air force. not confirm but we hope. 

PM Narendra Modi to meet Putin, key defense deals to be see light of the day

PM Modi to meet Putin, key defense deals to be see light of the day

         The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has embarked on an 8-day International tour visiting about six countries. PM will visit Central Asian countries and Russia with the aim of boosting strategic and economical ties with these countries, which serve as the gateway for Central Asia. During his visit PM will be attending BRICS and SCO summits which are crucial for ramifying India’s relationships with these nations. India is the lead member nation in BRICS, an association of emerging economical powers. Mutual development of trade, economics, infrastructure and industries is the main aim of the association. Russia is the host nation for the 7th BRICS submitting which was kicked off on 09th July 2015 at Ufa.

          India is an observer nation at Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) which aims at the mutual co-operation of Eurasian countries in the field of economic, trade and military. China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are the permanent member nations. Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia, India and Pakistan share the stage as observer states in the organization. President of Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has been actively pitching for elevating India as a permanent member, given the economical hold India has over the region. India’s inclusion in the organization will prove to be a vital boost to counter ‘Chinese influence’ in the region.

      The organization has dedicated channels for military co-operation, intelligence sharing and counter terrorism. Under the ‘SCO banner’ repeated joint-military exercises have been conducted. Hence the inclusion of India to this organization will be a game changer for maintaining India’s presence in the region and can be expected to happen by 2016.

       India and Russia have a very robust defense agreements and share time tested and trusted relationship. India and Russia recently agreed to work out on a ‘fifth generation’ design for Russia’s most advanced Su 35. The variant currently being worked out is code named as Su 35 ‘S’ – stealth.

FGFA Project

       In the backdrop of these summits, PM will be meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with the hope of addressing the long delayed Indian-Russian defense projects. The Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project, a derivative of the T-50 being jointly developed by Sukhoi and HAL has been in turbulent waters right from the constitution of the project. Even though constituted way back in 2007, the work partners are yet to reach a conclusive work pattern for developing the aircraft. IAF currently operates just 31 flyable fighter squadron against a sanctioned minimum strength of 42 squadrons. India is fast losing the air superiority it once enjoyed in the region.

     Hence the Induction of newer aircraft at a rapid rate is the solution. With the new government scrapping the MMRCA contract, the need for jets has just doubled. The agreed FGFA will be a twin-seat jet powered by twin engines and is highly capable clubbed with stealth, super cruise, avionics and super maneuverability going aboard the aircraft. The work share has been a chock up point for the project even after the design phase is to be started shortly. India will be investing around US $20 billion for acquiring 200 aircraft. The first of the T-50 have already entered service with the Russian air force. Mass delivery of the aircraft is expected to being by 2016. With Modi meeting Putin a formal announcement in regard to this project is most expected.

MTA Aircraft

      Multi-role Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) is currently developing a multi-purpose transport aircraft for the air forces of India and Russia. MTAL is one of the companies in which India and Russia hold equal joint shares. MTA will be the replacement for India’s primary Medium transport aircraft, the An-32. The international tender for an aircraft was cancelled and MTAL given a go ahead, but the deal had been delayed for years. In a welcome move the headquarters for MTAL’s headquarters was setup in Bengaluru.

Nuclear powered submarines

      With India’s interest in the IOR increasing with every passing day the need for force to protect India’s vested interest has been increasing. The underwater force of the Indian navy has depleted to alarming numbers. India has already cleared ambitious plans of manufacturing six nuclear powered attack submarines in home. The P-75 I project is one more project that guarantees a respite to Indian navy. But as a stop gap measure India is looking at leasing the latest submarines from reliable partners.

  The only answer to this will be ‘Russia’, which has been leasing nuclear powered submarines to India. India currently operates an Akula-class nuclear powered attack submarine, the INS Chakra. India is currently looking at acquiring either the Irbis or Kashalot. India will also welcome the support of Russia in building ‘Nuclear powered submarines’ back in India’s shipyard.

     PM Narendra Modi will also meet Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharrif. The meet comes at a time when the tensions between the long time foes are high. The meet is crucial in bringing down the tensions between the countries which have reached new heights with Pakistan claiming to use N-power against India.

Article By Karthik Kakoor

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

MKIed Su 35 in Talks Between Russia and India

MKIed Su 35 in Talks Between Russia and India

The Russian Su 35 S without the Wingtip Jammer

With the depleting number of fighter squadrons in the IAF the Indian government called out the MRCA tender worth initially about 82000 crore. Under the deal the winning bidder was to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal featured six battle proven and highly manoeuvrable fighter aircraft. The Boeing featured its  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the French fielded the Dassault Rafale, Euro fighter Typhoon, the Us backed Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Russian’s fielded the advanced  Mikoyan MiG-35, and Saab JAS 39 Gripen. After an intensive and detailed technical evaluation by the IAF the bidders were reduced to Dassault Rafale and the Euro fighter Typhoon. By January 2012 Rafale was declared the winner of the MMRCA competition, beating Eurofighter Typhoon on cost. Rafale agreed for a full ToT to Indian based HAL, which would be manufacturing 108 of the Rafale under licence. But after Rafale was selected numerous numbers of flaws were being reported by the opposite’s sides. The deal never made headway and always remained in turbulent waters. Dassault and the Indian counterpart have had disputes with the licence and the warranty issues. The deal as to date is yet to be signed and it is widely reported the Indian government is looking for replacements with the SU 30 MKI making headway in the process.

 

India has enjoyed a longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Russia in the field of defense. India-Russia military technical cooperation has evolved from a simple buyer - seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defense technologies and systems. With the MRCA deal signed with the French based Dassualt heading towards a deadlock the Indian government is interested towards the Russian products which include the SU 30 and the SU 35. But the major clause for the MRCA deal was to bridge the gap between the LCA and the Multi-Role SU 30 aircraft. In the recently held IDEX at UAE, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov was quoted saying “We have been negotiating and have signed the intention protocol for the Su-35," said during the IDEX show in Abu Dhabi last month. "Now we are working on designing ideas for this contract and on creating a manufacturing platform for the aircraft of the fifth generation “. The company with this has confirmed initial talks and has also confirmed the inking of the intention protocol. The deal includes supplying the IAF with Ground attack version of Su 35. Rostec claims the Su-35S would be a fifth generation fighter, as opposed to the legacy fourth generation Su-35. That implies stealth, but it is still unclear whether the jet would be on par with an F-35 joint strike fighter. The Su-35S is a more improved and modified ‘ground attack’ units. But the Indian government is yet to confirm any of the news related to SU35. If the deal is indeed signed and the IAF opts for a better modified and stealth capable SU-35S it raises an array of question.

The future of MRCA deal?

The proposed modernization plans for the Sukhoi’s ?

With the SU-35S inducted, the path of India’s very own stealth aircraft under AMCA project ?

The Su-35S is a aircraft that has no proven track record. The aircraft is yet to see any battle. And with stealth being integrated the aircraft may turn out be an heavy aircraft which effectively place it in another field. But Rafale is an aircraft that has proven battlefield capabilities. It’s optimized to fly in extremely low level altitudes evading enemy Air defence and can provide effective close Air support. The Rafale is currently being involved in operations against in Iraq. With the incidents involving the shoot down of the Jordanian F 16 the collation forces have restricted the minimum flight altitude 6000 ft which would effectively evade the MANPAD Threat. Charged with an ‘Close Air support’ over Peshmerga the Rafale’s did a remarkable ground Run and killing scores of some ISIS members. The Rafale had remarkably used it’s Gatling cannon. The A10 gunships had failed in the same mission after being struck with MANPADS.

Glass Digital Cockpit Display of Su 35

The Rafales can carry six 500lb PGM/LGB with three 2000lts Drop tank and a Targeting Pod, along with 6 other A2A missiles, which is truly an outstanding configuration which cannot be seen on other aircraft. The Su 35S can carry an array of Unguided Dumb Bombs which may vary according to the modification India would demand. The SU-35S is rumored to house around 32 Unguided Dumb ammunition of 250 lbs. The F-16 is also rumored to house around 16 250lbs of Guided small diameter bombs. The Su 35 is fitted out with Four PGM each of 1000lbs. This would prove decisive in a guided ground air support. The F 15 E with SDB or Su 35 with FAB 250 or KAB 1000 can carry two A2A missiles. If intercepted by enemy aircraft the chances of survivability is extremely low.

Bunch of Armour in Su 35 Static display only

The Rafale comes with five wet points which effectively sums to five drop tanks unlike the Rafale, the Flanker series are designed with no wet points. The aircraft relays only on the Internal fuel tanks but the Modified Su 35 S comes with three wet Points which would enhance the combat range to a great extent. The Rafale uses the Spectra EW system. The Su 35 is armed with wingtip jammers in the form of SAP 350 or SAP 518.

The Su 35 S is an Fifth Generation aircraft with Stealth capability. With China already pacing orders for Su 35 and deliveries to being shortly, the deal is being given great importance. Since SU-35S is an under development various requirements of IAF can be taken care in a effective manner.  

Editor Karthik Kakoor  

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