Sukhoi Su-30MK2V multirole fighter

American aircraft all have a nickname, like Falcon, while the nickname Flanker is the NATO name given to Russian aircraft.

The Su-30 is used in Russia, China, Venezuela, Algeria, Uganda, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The F-16 is used by the US Air Force and 25 other countries.

These are aircraft of the 4th generation fighter class, meaning they are not the newest or most advanced type like 5th generation fighters.

But 5th generation fighter jets, which have the most notable additional feature of being stealthy, meaning they are difficult to detect by the enemy, are mostly still in the development and production stages and have not yet been put into use. Except for the US F-22 which has had about 150 units in use since 2005 and the F-35 which is starting production; Russia’s PAK FA, China’s J-20 and J-21 have only been tested. It is expected that it will take at least 3 more years, meaning after 2016, for 5th generation fighter jets to start being used.

It should also be known that the combat value is not only in the aircraft itself but also depends on many electronic equipment and weapons, so the 5th generation fighter is not necessarily superior to the fourth generation in all aspects. every aspect. Furthermore, experts believe that in just 10 years, the current invisibility ability will no longer be effective when new advances in electronic technology are made. Some 4th generation aircraft are equipped with new electronic detection systems and weapon systems such as the US Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet, called generation 4.5. In other words, decades from now, 4th generation and improved 4th generation fighters will still be opponents of the 5th generation, but it is not yet time to retire.

Su-30 and F-16 are the two most commonly used combat aircraft. Below is a comparison, not a comparison, because each type has many different versions. Comparing two types of fighter aircraft is meaningless, with their features and equipment depending on each battlefield mission they are performing.

Heavy and light

The Su-30 is a heavy fighter aircraft, with two jet engines placed side by side in the fuselage, maximum takeoff weight of 35 tons.

The F-16 is a light fighter, with one jet engine, takeoff weight of 20 tons.

The success of the F-4 Phantom II, a 3rd generation multirole fighter, through experiences in the Middle East battlefield, was a lesson for the Sukhoi company in the Soviet Union to design the Su-27 in 1985. Su- 30 with many different later versions is an improvement and modification on the basis of the S-27.

The F-16 was initially planned as a day fighter, mainly with a fighter mission, preventing enemy aircraft from protecting the airspace. Later versions were transformed into multi-role fighters for all-time use. details. Except for a few versions, the F-16 is controlled by a single pilot.

The Su-30 is a multi-role fighter operated by two pilots. Both the F-16 and Su-30 have a maximum speed of about Mach 1.2 at sea level and Mach 2 at altitude, a flight ceiling of 50,000 feet, and an acceleration speed of 250 m/s.

But the F-16 only has a range of less than 400 miles without carrying additional fuel tanks or being resupplied in the air. The Su-30 has more than twice the range and lasts up to 4 hours.

flexible

Because the F-4 Phantom was so expensive, after the Vietnam War, the US Air Force wanted a light aircraft suitable for air combat and less expensive to use. The F-16 is only half the price of the Su-30 and consumes less fuel. But price is too complicated an issue and there can be no standard for comparison. The price of two aircraft of the same type can be very different, sometimes one and a half times more expensive or more. First of all, a new aircraft will include significant research and development costs, unlike aircraft that have been put into mass production. Next is equipment and weapons, accessories, maintenance costs, pilot training and many other needs…

The project was approved in 1976 and production began in 1980, the F-16 was the first fighter aircraft to use a control system called “fly by wire”, using electric wires via a computer. Unlike old aircraft, the pilot uses a system of cables, mechanical and hydraulic parts to control the small wings, tail, and rudder to make the aircraft move. The new method increases the aircraft’s flexibility and ease of maneuvering by reducing the need for stability. When the pilot controls directly with his hands and feet, the aircraft will be safer if it returns to its original stable state (static stability). But this also means hindering the effects imparted to it and the pilot will have to continue applying the effects. With the “fly by wire” method, the computer receives the execution command, will appropriately adjust all conditions of the aircraft according to the pilot’s wishes, and create stability with the new situation without the need for additional intervention.

In previous air combat, the most important thing was that a fighter could easily and quickly occupy a favorable position to use weapons. The ideal position is to sneak behind the enemy plane, chase after it and open fire or launch a heat-seeking missile that follows the heat to the jet engine’s exhaust pipe. With advances in missiles and electronic control systems, aerial combat can take place far beyond the eye’s sight.

During the Vietnam War, the heavier F-4 C “Phantom” was not as flexible as the MiG-15, but was superior thanks to its electronic and missile systems. The second pilot in the F-4 C can detect the enemy first through the radar screen, and attack from the front, back or side – with Sparrow or Sidewinder missiles – and then change direction to escape if the enemy is not defeated.

So at times people thought that flexibility could be sacrificed. But for 4th generation fighters, flexibility is still considered an essential element for air combat in or out of sight. Detect the enemy from far away with the radar system to detect and track movement quickly to the best position to launch attack missiles and then escape without letting the enemy chase, that is the main purpose. In this condition, it is necessary to quickly reach high speed and altitude because it has advantages in both attack and self-defense; The aircraft’s speed also helps add kinetic energy for the missile to quickly reach the target. Fourth generation aircraft all use the “fly by wire” control system.

The Sukhoi Su-30 is a large and heavy fighter but has very good flexibility thanks to the “thrust vectoring” system, a method first applied by Russia to Sukhoi fighters. 27 of them. The exhaust pipes of the two jet engines point out 32 degrees horizontally to the aircraft axis and can rotate up or down 15 degrees. This system, along with the familiar movements of the wings, ailerons, tail, and rudder, helps add efficiency to the aircraft’s navigation.

America’s F-16 “Fighting Falcon”.

To date, F-16 production has ceased for the US Air Force after more than 4,500 were put into operation, except if there is an export need for up to 5 more years. The Su-30 first flew in 1989 and began to be used in 1996. To date, more than 420 aircraft have been produced and continue to have many versions suitable for different tasks of the air force. , navy or infantry. The Su-30 is also an important Russian arms export item. At the same time, Sukhoi also cooperated with India to produce the Su-30 MKI version in India.

The Su-30 MK2V produced by KnAAPO, a division of Sukhoi, has directional exhaust pipes and “canards” meaning two small auxiliary wings in front of the main wing, to increase flight stability. This name was given by France because it looks like a flying duck and is usually only found on delta-winged aircraft without a rear tail.

As a heavy fighter, the Su-30 can carry more ordnance than the F-16, including air-to-air, air-to-ground missiles, conventional or guided bombs and a 30mm rapid-fire rotating barrel cannon.