At the start of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition, a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380 9M-MNE flanked by four Royal Malaysian Air Force Su-30MKM performed a fly past. A fifth Su-30MKM acted as spotter and coordinator.
A video of the fly past is embedded below.
Langkawi is a popular island getaway in the Andaman sea off the North-West coast of Malaysia. The Su-30MKM (Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy Malaysia or Modernized Export Malaysia) is very similar to the Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force.
A Su-30MKI air superiority fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed at Pokharan range, Rajasthan, earlier today around 1920 IST (1350Z). Both the crew ejected safely and there is no damage reported to any civilian property of any casualties on the ground. A spokesperson for the IAF could not divulge details of the fighter, the squadron it belonged to, or details of the crew members.
This is the fourth crash of the front-line air superiority fighter of the IAF. The first crash of a Su-30MKI occurred in 2009, again over the desert of Rajasthan in 2009. Later that year another SU-30MKI crashed, again in Rajasthan. The third crash occurred in 2011 at Pune.
Sources inform Bangalore Aviation, the crash occurred during the full dress rehearsal for Iron Fist, a massive day and night fire power exercise of Indian Air Force at the Pokhran range, to demonstrate its integrated combat capabilities.
Eyewitnesses say the fighter, which was "fairly high, may be around 7,000ft", released flares, a standard procedure during night exercises, followed by the firing of a missile from the aircraft. Soon after the launch, the Su-30MKI caught fire mid-air, and the crew ejected. The aircraft broke in to two major pieces before crashing to the earth in two balls of fire.
Apart from marking the debut of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, the 'Iron Fist' exercise will feature over 100 aircraft from across the IAF including the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG 27, MiG 21, MiG 29, various helicopters, UAVs, and AWACS and early warning platforms.
The exercise is to be witnessed on February 22, by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal N.A.C. Browne, senior officials from across the government and armed forces, military attaches of various countries and the national media. At this time, it is not known whether the exercise will proceed, but we speculate that it will.
As per Wikipedia the Indian Air Force bases with the Su-30MKI are:
IANS is reporting that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI the frontline air superiority fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Pune around 13:15 local (07:45Z) today. Both the pilots bailed out to safety, an officer said.
The fighter belongs to a squadron of the Su-30MKI which is based at the Lohegaon Air Force Base to protect amongst others, the economic capital of India, Mumbai. The part of the base also serves as the civil airport serving the city of Pune.
Base commander, Air Commodore V. R. Chaudhry told reporters
‘Today at around 1.15 p.m. a Sukhoi fighter jet, which took off from the Lohegaon Air Force Base for a sortie, presumably developed a technical snag and crashed,’
‘Two officers – Wing Commander Suhail, who was the pilot and Flight Lieutenant Nautiyal, who was the weapons system operator – ejected out of the aircraft after manoeuvring it over barren land,’
‘While the preliminary circumstantial reason could be a technical snag, we are investigating the matter. Both the officers were highly competent. They showed great presence of mind and courage by steering the aircraft towards a safe location and thus avoiding any civilian damage,’
Both the officers have been taken to the Command Hospital in Pune.
The aircraft crashed at Wade-Bholai village, 20 kms from here. The search for the aircraft’s black box is on.
This is the third crash of a Sukhoi Su-30 since its induction in 1997.
Defence minister A.K. Antony informed the Rajya Sabha that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is extremely happy with its front line air superiority fight, the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and will increase its fleet to 230 aircraft by 2015, notwithstanding the recent crash of one.
China has been increasing it's belligerence over the north eastern state of Arunachal Pradhesh and has a significant ground force superiority over India in the region. It is aided by two friendly governments -- the military junta in Yangon (Burma) and the Maoists in Nepal, leaving the entire and vital eastern half of India vulnerable.
To counter this increasing threat, in June, the Indian Air Force located a squadron of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI at the Tezpur air force base in Assam. Read a related article.
Tezpur is located near Arunachal Pradesh and is less than 350 km from the last army post at Bumla on the imaginary McMohan Line that divides India and China. Tezpur is also the headquarters of the 4th Corps of the army, which would shortly have two mountain division deployed in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese army air base closest to India is in the Chengdu military region, which borders India, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam, and is home to two fighter divisions.
But, is India and the IAF putting to much faith in the Su-30MKI ?
At the 2008 Red Flag exercises, the US Air Force analysed the remarkable fighter. The video below shows some remarkable comparisons. While there is no doubt on the strengths, it also reveals some startling weaknesses -- for example, the Saturn NPO Al-31FP engines on the Su-30MKI are very prone to FOD (foreign object damage) which requires a one minute separation between take-offs. One minute in a combat situation is eternity. Also Russia demands that India return all damaged engines to them for repairs, and only after the engine reaches them will they send a replacement. Surely this will cause a tremendous supply chain crunch in the face of any hostilities. The USAF officer also refers to the second video which compares the F-22 Raptor with Sukhoi Su-30MKI in similar manoeuvres.
Not to say that it is all bad. There is no doubt that the Su-30MKI is a formidable aircraft and it's remarkable capabilities coupled with the abilities of fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force who are counted way up there with their US and Israeli counterparts amongst the best of the best, are a potent combination.
Su-30MKI (image courtesy Wikipedia)
It is also important to remember the Su-30MKI is an air superiority fighter i.e. intended to defeat enemy aircraft in the air and seize control of enemy airspace. The F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor are probably the finest examples of air superiority fighters of their generation with the Su-30MKI being in between the two. While the Su-30MKI can also perform some multi-role activities including ground strikes, it is wasted in this role. India has to remain committed to the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) procurement time-table and sign the contracts within the 2010-2011 fiscal year as currently planned. The Israeli Phalcon equipped IL-76 AWACS procurement too must be continued on schedule or improved.
IL-76 A-50 AWACS. Image Wikipedia What is your opinion? Do post a comment.
On this topic, I read a book by Humphrey Hawksley, the former BBC correspondent with extensive experience in China and South Asia titled Dragon Fire. While a work of fiction, Dragon Fire is extensively based on facts, and tells the story of a three-sided war -- India versus China and Pakistan. Very interesting reading.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) suffered the first crash its prestigious Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter earlier today when it crashed early this morning while on a routine training exercise. The pilot Wing Commander S.V. Munje ejected safely, but navigator Wing Commander P.S. Narah was unfortunately killed.
The crash occurred at 1030 (0500 GMT), about 70 km south-east of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan the north-west border of India with Pakistan. The aircraft had taken off from the Lohegaon air base at Pune, just east of Mumbai.
The Su-30MKI a state-of-the-art air superiority fighter featuring thrust vectoring, is the jewel in the crown of the IAF. Famed for the "Cobra" manoeuvre (see video above) where the fighter rears up like a cobra before dropping its nose for a kill shot, it was inducted into the IAF in 1997 which operates three squadrons of approximately 55 aircraft. India purchased 50 aircraft in a fly away condition from Russia and now the Su-30MKI is manufactured under license in India by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The IAF and the Su-30MKI have participated in the Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force base.
The flight crew are the cream of the IAF as evidenced by the Wing Commander rank (equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF) of both pilot and navigator. A board on inquiry has been formed to look into the incident, but the fleet has not been grounded because of the incident.
Blue skies and tail winds Wing Commander P.S. Narah.
