BattlerBritain 1 Posted June 25, 2007 Dear All, Thought you might be interested in knowing that Indian Air Force SU-30s are heading for an Air Defence exercise in the UK against Tornado F3's + AWACS. Post at: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Images/S...s/Indradhanush/ Should be interesting. Maybe a few piccies might appear at iBAviationPhotography at http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarb...cgi?;act=SF;f=9 over the coming weeks? Cheers, Battler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted June 25, 2007 This is going to be great :yes: . I thought our Su-30MKIs would be flying with and against RAF Eurofighters? This also means the first overseas deployment of our Su-30MKIs. The MKIs that the Rhinos fly are Block III variants... the most advanced among the MKI Blocks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Sundowner 4,818 Posted June 25, 2007 All being well,I will be over at RAF Waddington on Friday and Saturday taking lots of piccies of these beauties. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BattlerBritain 1 Posted June 25, 2007 Get some good ones Dood. You gonna post over at iBAviation? Reading over at the PPRUNE forums the RAF are really looking forward to having them over. Apparently the Indian Air Force hosted the RAF really well when the RAF went to India a while back. The RAF are looking to return the hospitality. Should be good though. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that AWACS when the fur starts flying. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted June 26, 2007 All being well,I will be over at RAF Waddington on Friday and Saturday taking lots of piccies of these beauties. That would be great SD. If you manage to get close to the MKIs, could you please try and get pictures of teh ejection seat and other warning decals painted near the cockpit? Have a look at the IL-76s. They do not have the 23mm cannon on the tail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BUFF 8 Posted June 26, 2007 It would be very interesting to know what the rules of engagement are as that will have a massive impact on any result. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted June 27, 2007 Serials of participating IAF a/c: IL-76MD K2878 IL-76MD K2663 IL-78MKI RK3452 IL-78MKI RK3451 Su-30MKI SB041 Su-30MKI SB042 Su-30MKI SB043 Su-30MKI SB044 Su-30MKI SB103 Su-30MKI SB107 SB103 & 107 are license built MKIs by HAL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BattlerBritain 1 Posted June 29, 2007 They're here! .... http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarb...=ST;f=9;t=34281 Interesting position for the Air-to-Air refueling pod on the Il-76 - by the tail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted June 30, 2007 They're here! ....http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarb...=ST;f=9;t=34281 Interesting position for the Air-to-Air refueling pod on the Il-76 - by the tail. The IL-78MKI has three re-fuelling pods, two on the wings and one near the fin. It can refuel three fighters simultaneously. I had seen a pic of Two Su-30s and a Mirage 2000 refuelling simultaneously from an IL-78. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bucklehead101 29 Posted June 30, 2007 damn, got all excited, thought someone was releasing a RF-4. Cheers Bucklehead Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted August 27, 2007 India’s Sukhois turn it on in UK skies, turn off radars IAF pilots participating in the UK-Indian exercise Indra Dhanush last month switched off the radars on their Sukhois to prevent secret radio frequencies from being picked up by Western military intelligence.The frequency of the Su-30 MKI fighter’s radar is jealously guarded because once disclosed it neutralises both the aircraft and its missiles. And obviously, if India is to maintain its air superiority over Pakistan — and the SU-30 is the world’s most advanced fighter bomber — it needs to make sure that Islamabad does not gain access to its radar frequencies via friendly Western governments. In fact, during Indra Dhanush, the IAF pilots’ refusal to use their radars created problems that the RAF overcame by flying its Tornado F3s alongside each of the six Su-30s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted August 28, 2007 Yet the RAF has no problem letting the IAF know their frequencies... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ghostrider883 526 Posted September 13, 2007 (edited) cross posting from BR forums : There WERE 1 vs 1 Typhoon MKI engagements, but I believe they were all WVR. Accurate comparisions on WVR capabilities cannot be made just on a couple of sroties when there are numerous factors like safety(paramount),dissimilar pilot experience/skill etc etc.. Typhoon advantages in WVR were : 1) MUCH smaller airframe so usually the Typhoon got a visual on the MKI much before the converse happened. 2) Better T/W ratio MKI advantages: 1) Obviously TVC. 2)Two pairs of eyeballs on the cockpit instead of one. Both a/c were HMCS enabled I think. So who won at WVR? Well again; there weren't enough encounters to make an accurate assessment and pilot skill levels may have been dissimilar; nonetheless the MKI drivers felt they had the uperhand in the limited encounters, again a possibly biased perspective! All BVR enagagements had radar sightings executed through the 'buddy' link-up.. I presume each side had F3s which would relay radar info (electropnically or vocally?) too other dissimilar a/c. 'Invaluable' knowledge transfer was imparted on IAF electronic officers who are due to derve on PHALCON AWACS platforms due later this year. The Typhoon option for the IAF MRCA bid is an unlikely one in the minds of the IAF pilots due to price and an 'overlap' of the MKI role in the IAF. Surprisingly the Gripen is a favorite amongst the IAF MKI drivers. I believe each AF got to fly at least one sortie on the other AF's jets. Even the F3 cockpit aesthetics were better and more comfotable than that of the MKI. No radars, neither the CAPTOR nor the N)11MBars were used in active mode. Edited September 13, 2007 by ghostrider883 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Dave 2,322 Posted September 13, 2007 ....and the SU-30 is the world’s most advanced fighter bomber Oh it is? Did anyone tell that to the F-15E? Or the F-16C Blk 52+/60? The only thing the SU-30 has going for it is the TVC. But it would be long dead before it ever got a chance to use it. Besides what good is a radar if you can't turn it on an use it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted September 13, 2007 Ah, so the RAF didn't turn theirs on after all. I hardly see the value in exercises with someone you can't consider "friend" enough to use your planes to even close to their real abilities. I'm surprised they all didn't just run around the airbase with their arms out going "whoosh!" so that the other side didn't find out what their planes can do flight-wise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BUFF 8 Posted September 13, 2007 Looks like the main benefit (at least for the Indians) was learning how to work/work with an AWACs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
