IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI Vs PLAAF’s Sukhoi Su-30 MKK/MK2

IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI  Vs PLAAF’s Sukhoi Su-30 MKK/MK2

As we have reported earlier that Indian Defence Ministry Approves Purchase Of 33 New Fighter Jets For Rs 18,148 crore. The Defence Ministry approved procurement of 21 MIG-29 and 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft along with the up-gradation of existing 59 Mig-29 jets.

This new order will add to the 272 fighters of the type already ordered by the Indian Air Force. The Su30MKI fleet is now the backbone of IAF and will continue to be so for the coming years. The Chinese air force, too, operates the Su30 fighters. Here is a comparison:

IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI

IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI  Vs PLAAF’s Sukhoi Su-30 MKK/MK2
Operated by 2sqn, Indian Air Force, and based at Kalaikunda. Seen landing at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK, during Operation Indradhanush IV. – Credits: Alan Wilson
  • With more than 260 fighters in service, Su30MKI forms the bulk of IAF. Additional jets are still being manufactured by HAL at Nasik and production will continue for next 2-3 years. The Indian versions are different from other Su30s as they are tailored to the needs of IAF
  • Designated MKI for India, the fighters have advanced Israeli avionics and an electronic warfare systems, making them different from the standard Su30
  • Indian fighters have demonstrated Brahmos firing capabilities
  • While they all have standard Russian origin R73/77 missiles, the Indian version will now be equipped with the longer-range Astra, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile developed by DRDO
  • This will add a critical new capability to the aircraft that has till now been hampered by limited range to take down air targets, compared to the western platforms
  • Though its beyond visual range combat ability is limited, at close quarters it has unbeatable capabilities

PLAAF’s Su30 MKK/MK2

IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI  Vs PLAAF’s Sukhoi Su-30 MKK/MK2
PLAAF Sukhoi Su-30MKK at Lipetsk-2 – Credits: Dmitriy Pichugin
  • China operates two variants of Su30. The Sukhoi Su-30MKK (is a modification of the Sukhoi Su-30, incorporating advanced technology from the Sukhoi Su-35 variant.
  • China had ordered 73 of the older MKK version and later added 24 of the MK2 version for its Navy

However, unlike the MKI, the Chinese version does not have thrust vectoring engines, making them less manoeuvrable and nimble than the Indian fighters

China’s Copycat Air Force

  • China did not manufacture Su30s domestically, but it copied the design to make two indigenous versions called J11 and J16
  • J11, which is based on Su27 platform, is the backbone of PLAAF, with 346 of the type ordered
  • The more advanced version J16 is based on the Su30 platform and at least 128 are already in service. China has fitted the aircraft with indigenous weapons, including PL12 and PL15 air-to-air missiles

Chinese also copied another Sukhoi variant, Su33 for its Navy

Named J15, the aircraft carrier borne fighters have been copied from a suspected Ukrainian prototype that was surreptitiously acquired by China. At least 50 of these are believed to be in service

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10 comments

  1. You did not mention that Chinese Su-30s carry PL-15 missile which has a range of over 400 Kms and is the most feared Weapon.

  2. The article so much full of c**p that i find it hard to believe it actually has been posted in a defense website.

    While PLAAF is still some distance away from catching up to The USAF or Russia( despite their batsh*t claims in their propaganda media that they have better & superior equipment compared to USAF /Russia), i heavily doubt Indian air force will be a match for PLAAF. It can’t even match Pakistani Air Force which is literally made of vintage art-effects . It is one thing to have superior equipment, it is completely other thing to know how to use them. Didn’t they get totally hammered by Pakistanis last year?

    In a study couple of years ago published by RAND corporation which ran a simulation in case of clash in between USAF & PLAAF over Taiwanese sky, it concluded PLAAF has parity with USAF over Taiwan. Since then PLAAF has gone through extensive modernization.
    A bullet ,doesn’t matter if it’s copied ,still kills.
    Another thing that is needed to be mentioned here, array of SRBM , MRMBs China posses. It can flatten Indian side of border without breaking a sweat. It doesn’t have to be a straight shootout between Indian Air Force & PLAAF. In case of full blown clash,India would have to go a long way before the situation demands an straight shootout in between 2 air forces, considering China wouldn’t have taken out those airfields with missile barrage already.
    Indians need to get their sh*t together instead of crazy daydreaming.

    • 😂🤣 world is full of fools, time will teach you a better lessons

      • A third world sh*t hole will teach us a lesson? Do you know why your boss Putin doesn’t want to pick a fight with The United States?
        Chill little bud. Or you will be made to chill.

  3. India is good at propoganda….and thats all.

  4. Roger Buultjens

    India needs to buy f35 jets and F15 here the latest and the the F18 jets latest with another 35 raffle orders and not Russian to be ahead of China,.China know s what India got from Russia, because they have the same jets,China has no respect for the Indian defence force as the the USA sectary of state state said a few weeks ago, otherwise will not cross the line of controll, Russia has signed a agreement with China to corporate in defence, India n leadership is dilusional to trust Russia.

  5. Arun Joseph Gnanarathinam

    JeeBuzz are you talking about the same RAND corporation that predicted a 2:1 loss ratio for F-22-F-35 combination that less than a year later, raked 400 kills for no loss in mockfights? Oh, BTW if you’re thinking IAF is outclassed by PAF, you’re wet dreaming. Your prized F-16 got smacked by a vintage MiG-21. Remember we dismembered your country into two nearly half a century ago. Our economy is 5th in terms of GDP. Where does your Banana Republic stand? You need to stop listening to your mullahs and watch unbiased news.

    • “JeeBuzz are you talking about the same RAND corporation that predicted a 2:1 loss ratio for F-22-F-35 combination that less than a year later, raked 400 kills for no loss in mockfights? ”
      Do you have any citation for these?

      “BTW if you’re thinking IAF is outclassed by PAF, you’re wet dreaming.”
      Isn’t that what exactly happened?

      “Your prized F-16 got smacked by a vintage MiG-21.”
      Where? In your wet dream?
      F-16 is vintage compared to what we have now. So is F-18 used by navy.WTF do you mean by Prized F-16?
      You shot F-16 with MIG-21? That’s gotta be the biggest advertising news for poor Ruskie Mikoyan company that is about to go bankrupt.

      “Remember we dismembered your country into two nearly half a century ago. Our economy is 5th in terms of GDP. ”
      1st in World with 20 trillion USD & most powerful army on the planet. Which country you “dismembered” half a century ago? Careful little third world bud. You don’t want our foot all over your little neck.

      “Where does your Banana Republic stand? You need to stop listening to your mullahs and watch unbiased news.”
      I think enough of your sh*t.
      Here is little bit of advice buddy. A third word sh*t hole should stay within it’s boundary. Play your molla & hendoo(which i assume given you sound like an indian trying to pick a fight with member you think is pakistani, 2 typical sh*thole gamers ) sh*t game within your own sh*t holes.
      Or we will bomb the living cr*p out of you & then will step all over you.

      By the way, how is that “independent foreign policy” thing coming along? Are you still planning on buying Iranian oil?
      Don’t try to act tough unless you want your breath to be choked out of you.
      Now f**k off.

      • He is indian i guess. Most of indians are delusional, living in some kinda parallel universe. It is such a shame that India had such potential. Now it is another failed 3rd world state like Pakistan. World would be much safer if we disarm both of them of their nuclear arsenal & throw them in bottom of ocean.
        Coming back to the topic, since India has clearly shown where it’s alliance lies, being wh0e of vlad, i think this is time we make unilateral move in indian ocean. After spreading the CCP virus, Communists party has taken advantage of our distraction & made HK another of their province. Taiwan is next & that is where our focus should be.
        Indian ocean is critical choke point of Communist China for it is supplies, If U.S Navy can establish presence there, we can put a foot on CCP’s neck before they think of any misadventure regarding Taiwan.

    • As amazing as it does sound, no body cares about what happened in between two third world poor insignificant countries in history Don’t get started everywhere with your poor story line.

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