Indian EW suites are already ahead. I am yet to see anything like the system on the MiG-29 UPG on the Russian side yet.
I have serious trouble believing this claim. Su-34 has a very advanced EW system, and the subject is highly classified as is.
Also, India tends to put in whatever it gets from the best of French etc suppliers in. In terms of RLG-INS, the latest Indian RLG-INS is equivalent to the Sagem Sigma90 suite on the Su-30 MKI but is being focused on missiles. The Russian suites were simply not found competitive enough even in the current upgrades.
Right, but that was the case of the Su-30MKI, and the true lack of many equivalent Russian subsystems during the 90s and 2000s. The situation is quiet different today.
I see the PAKFA as a good chance for Russia to catch up with modern standards across the entire board by developing all new systems, everything from airframe components, materials to subsystems.
I agree, that is why I am genuine interested where Indian contribution makes sense in terms of achieving the best performance – I have yet to see firm specifics. Of course, they may opt for Indian systems on FGFA simply because of desire for domestic content, and there is nothing wrong with that.
The Flankers basically re-used a lot of systems and components from the original aircrafts, but the T-50 appears to be a clean sheet approach. But there will be areas where India will probably pick and choose systems locally and from abroad which may be a bit ahead of their Russian peers or more customized to local conditions.
I agree 100% in the case of Su-30MKI, but I have my reserved skepticism in the case of the PAK-FA. Now I am not saying that every piece of Russian equipment as relevant to combat aircraft is superior to anything in the world (that would be absurd) but in terms of equipment created specifically for the PAK-FA, I have trouble finding specific instances where Indian equivalents will be substituted because of increased performance. OF course there is the further issue of integration. I think the chance of 3rd party equipment finding its way to be slightly higher, but then again, I think both India and Russia want to stick to domestic kit in the PAK-FA/FGFA. They can afford to and have the capability to do so, unlike in say the Su-30MKI scenario. Further, there is the question of how much foreign integration Russia will allow India to do on the aircraft. I expect Indian personell would have to complete the actual process without active participation by the 3rd party responsible for the content, and that might not help with cost and time. Maybe French components, that both Russia and India have experience in using and license producing…but I think PAK-FA is more sensitive program than say T-90A tank.
Teer thanks for the response! At the end of the day, we will see this decade how the project turns out. Hopefully for the best.
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