weasel1962 wrote:Maybe people are reading too much into this. Last year I did a count and there are maybe 17 J-7 Air brigades (Scramble still shows 22) that could still be operation not including another 2-3 training units. All these need replacement.
The Su-35, being the most advanced fighter on sale from the Russians, could just be a gap filler whilst the PLAAF ramps up J-16 production. Looked how fast the PLAAF brought the Su-35 into service. Practically flying around Taiwan after delivery. Ease of induction suggests the Su-35 aren't too different from the other suks.
right on point here.
mixelflick wrote:So if it's outclassed by the J-10C and J-16, and its avionics and weapons are inferior to Chinese models. And the 117S will be obsolete soon... why did they buy it again?
I'm guessing range maybe?
Not sure if drop tanks were part of the package, but an SU-35 with tanks should be the longest ranged PLAAF fighter... perhaps even longer ranged than the J-20. I was just under the impression all along the engine was what they were acquiring it for. Either they did too (and found out otherwise), or they had some basic curiosity as to its "other" capabilities.
Sounds like after tearing it apart, they found most of it wanting?
I think they just needed replacement for a lot of frontline unit. Back when they started negotiation with Russians, it was not set in stone that J-16 would turn out successful. They have in the past made Russian purchases which seemed to make no sense later (like when they bought Sov destroyers). it was just a matter of having backup in case of domestic option gets delayed or has problems. When you are flushed with cash like PLA, buying 24 su-35 is not a big deal. There were stuff they definitely like about it, like the engine and Irbis radar.
mixelflick wrote:Tphuang, what do you mean when you say, "aerodynamically speaking the SU-35 is better than the other Flankers in Chinese service"?
I realize it's bigger, but the basic platform looks similar (if not identical) to earlier Flankers. Widely spaced engine nacelles, the "tunnel" providing space for lower drag weapons/lift/fuel. Blended wing/body, twin tails, etc.. The basic Flanker airframe looks draggy, and that seems to be true of the SU-35 as well.
Is there something special about that SU-35 that aerodynamically sets it apart? For some reason, I'm just not seeing it...
Aside from having a more powerful and less smoky engine, I've read from Chinese sources that su-35 does turn better at various speed vs su-27/30. We'd need someone more familiar with flankers to comment here. But one thing I remember reading several years ago was that su-30mkk fixed certain turn limitations that su-27 had at transonic speed. I don't know how accurate that is.
J-16 is based on su-30mkk, so it's heavier (being two seated) than su-35. Also, SAC, which designed/manufactures J-16 using locally available components, just doesn't have the same ability to make the changes to flanker platform as Sukhoi, since it doesn't have all the data that Sukhoi has from years of developing/testing flankers.