China to buy Su-33's

Really, a win-win for Russia as China will pay for a more advance Naval Flanker (i.e. Su-33) Which, Russia inturn will back fit in its current fleet…… :rolleyes:

Rumour has it that the reason the MK3 was dropped was becouse of internal Russian polictics- ie heavy lobbying from NIIP and possibly Russian airforce involvement (who wanted to keep Irbis alive and regarded Sokol as a threat). Otherwise I agree with you entirely crobato, there have been an aweful lot of concidences.

not sure about that part, but mk3 was offered after peace mission 2005 and it received no interest from the Chinese side.

Rumour has it that the reason the MK3 was dropped was becouse of internal Russian polictics- ie heavy lobbying from NIIP and possibly Russian airforce involvement (who wanted to keep Irbis alive and regarded Sokol as a threat). Otherwise I agree with you entirely crobato, there have been an aweful lot of concidences.

China began serious discussion of acquiring Su-33 as early as 1997. Then suddenly in 1999, the Su-27KUB (original name) prototype appeared. Russians claim it is to train new pilots, although their own Su-33 wing is teethering on the edge of disintegration and spend more time on shore and on the ground than on the sea and air. Which is funny to me.

The project is said to be “privately funded”. In armstrade circles, that’s code words for Chinese funded. Su-33KUB began testing Zhuk-MSE radar right about 2001, when China was seriously considering Zhuk-MSE as an option to upgrade Su-30MKKs further in the roadmap, first proposed in the Su-30MK2, then later in the Su-30MK3. In the end, the Chinese didn’t accept the Zhuk-MSE for reasons unknown, -MK2 and -MK3 plans put into hiatus. About 2004 I believe around that time, Su-33KUB began testing of the phase array version of the radar, the Zhuk MSFE, which was previously known as Sokol. Same radar is also tested on the Su-35UB, which looks like an Su-30MKK with canards.

During development of the radar, in March 2001, Russia also cleared Sokol for export to China, even though the radar is far from finished. Phazotron, who makes the Sokol and the Zhuk, also offered Kopyo-F for the FC-1. This uses a scaled down version of the phase array developed orignally for the Sokol.

It might be possible that China was already funding the project, I think.

Definitely. The Su-33KUB is the most likely variant that will be bought, and this plane has been testing the Zhuk MSFE phase array radar, after finishing testing the Zhuk MSE radar with the mechanical slotted array back in 2004. Salut has also made noise offering AL-31FM1 engines to the Su-33.

Sorry, the topic was touched on in the Rafale thread…………………regardless it’s offical the Chinese are purchasing the Russian Su-33 Naval Flanker. I assume the it will be upgraded with much more advance avionics? :rolleyes: