According to Yefim Gordon in “Russian Military Aircraft in the 21st Century “[2006]/Vol 26

Reffering to the B004 Phased Array Radar and quoting his words ” turned out to be a lemon and was later replaced by a new radar from a different manufacturer”

Quote from Austin at Secret Projects Forum

All have to be said, the Turkus datalink of the MiG-29 is not “that” advanced (far behind the K-DlA and 11G6 sets of Su-27S) nor it’s really meaningful in the VVS FA IA environment.

If you go back to the 80s, I think that the main advantages of the MiG-29 over the F-16C were just the capability to use a BVR weapon (even if not longer ranged that AIM-7F Sparrow neither as advanced as AIM-7M [between both] its surely better than just AIM-9L/M) a long range LD/SD Pulse-Doppler radar set (even if SA-limited by the displays) and the HMCS/R-73 combo. Things like OEPS-29 and Turkus could be interesting, but they’re not really “that” meaningful advanced (OEPS-29’s main atributes are tail-chase detection range and air-to-ground usage for dumb-bombs solutions thanks to KOLS, AN/APG-66 do that alone), Turkus is interesting only in a pretty centralized air-defense environment, and was of little use in the “Limited Air Superiority” role than VVS FA IA would give the Fulc over Europe (well, Air Superiority is not the right word, but a closer one to the meaning than a pure Air-Defense fighter, think of a Flagon!).

The result is some kind of intramurals competition, perhaps a reason why IAIA distanced itself from Sukhoi. That had partly to do with KnAAPO, taking the MKK, and selling it to Indonesia and tried to sell the same to Vietnam. It was assumed that the MKK should be Chinese market only, and that IAIA has responsibility marketing the Su-30 brand to the rest of the world. Then KnAAPO went further, taking the MKK, adding canards to it, applied the Su-35 radar and engines, and come out with the two seater Su-35BM, and then tried to market it to South Korea and Brazil.

Two seater T-10UBM is called Su-35UB, AFAIK, it never received an Air Force designation. Its hard to say it’s a remodelled Su-30MKK, althorugh it could be actually. Some sources said it was just that, others than it was a “new” aircraft (no conversion, using T-10M tooling or so they imply) due to the South Korean F-X program.

T-10BM have few in common with the aircraft offered to Brazil or the Simonov’s cow called Su-37.

This have to be explained, since 1988, the old OKB P.O Sukhoi stablished that for the desired level of capabilities wanted in T-10M program, the final aicraft would receive a TVC-capable engine. Its name is not Al-31FM, or Al-35, it was called Al-31FU (conceptually, off course). It would have TVC and 13.000kg afterbunning thrust (static). The engine was not really developed, but the TVC was, and it was installed into the T-10M-11 prototype that it was itself “customized” for the competition on UAE (won by Mirage-2000-9) and so it received a Sextant-Avionique designed cockpit. Older ones (from T-10M-3 till T-10M-10) used what I think were Elara developed CRT MFD (the classic one showed on T-10M-3, and changed disposition of same elements on T-10M-9). Since late 80s, OKB P.O Sukhoi was aware (or forced by circunstances) that N-011 radar (RLSU-27M) with the slotted array antenna would be not enough for the intended tasks, so they delgated to the NIIP branch of NKO Phazotron (yes, in those days, NIIP and NIIR were branches of a magnum radar institute called NKO Phazotron, they halved in the 90s) to develop a phased array derivated radar for the T-10M program, based off course on N-011. This radar was first ready on prototype design by 1992, and its called N-011M, it shared some technologies being developed for the N-014 radar complex of I-90’s OKB A.I Mikoyan proposal, MiG 1.42, but it retained lots of N-011 components (Ts200 DSP and Ts100 RDP between others). At the same time, te T-10M-3, the first “new built T-10M prototype” was built and then it was displayed for first time abroad in Farnborough. It was called there by M. Simonov (Sukoi Chairman) “Su-35” wanting to attract perspective buyers and it remained that name…off course, the more conservative VVS didn’t wanted to do anything with that designation squeme. Thing was that the T-10M-3 had some “brothers”, new construction (contrary to reconversion airframes like T-10M-1 and T-10M-2/5/6/7) brothers, those are called T-10M-8/9 and T-10M-10. Those last three were “brothers” of T-10M-3 but they added new equipment for tests and some revision of concepts, while they were not built on sequence (with this I mean, they were not constructed 3,8,9,10, but 3, 4 (static fatigue airframe, same batch), then 5, 6 and 7 (same airframe modifications like T-10M-1 and 2) and then the new ones 8, 9 and 10. T-10M-9 incorporated new cockpit layout squeme but using same systems as T-10M-3…MMI was worth **** as it seems!. While they were then 10 prototypes (5 conversions, 1 static new and 4 new dynamic prototypes) neither of them nor the 3 “pre-production” examples delivered by KnAAPO to 929 GLITS at Akhtubinsk in 1996 were “designed like specs wanted”…Akhtubinsk birds were mean for military tests, the other ones for “mixed tests” (LII, military institutes and OKB as needed)…it’s very possible that Akhtubinsk birds are T-10M-9 based aircrafts (same cockpit layout) and nothing else…

But the real finish prototypes were the last two built side-by-side with the Akhtubinsk intended birds. T-10M-11 and T-10M-12 were mid-90s births. They included the finish radar, now NIIP Tikhomirov N-011M, they also included the revised fly-by-wire system, AND new cockpits sets. T-10M-11 received the AL-31F with TVC intended for the OVT part of the T-10M program (devised in 1988), but those were not the inteded 13000 kgf thrust AL-31FU, jst revised Al-31F with TVC nozzle. It received N-011M radar, and as wanted for competition in UAE, the Sextant-Avionique set for cockpit. It also introduced new HOTAS squeme…it was not through a VVS design…due the cockpit design (French, for export). But it would finish the TVC program. T-10M-12 was the real T-10M/Su-27M expected bird, it introduced a new set of Russian designed MFD (color ones, not CRT monochromatic like those on Su-27IB/MiG-29M/Su-27M prototypes) built by RPKB, N-011M, and the whole toys. It didn’t received the TVC, that part of the test program was slotted for T-10M-11, but that was all. T-10M-11 finished TVC tests and it was stripped of the TVC, it was stripped of Sextant-Avionique layout cokpcit and it was transformed on a true brother of T-10M-12, and into final examples of “what the VVS/Sukhoi ever wanted of T-10M program from specs in the late 80s”…TVC proved, phased array proved.

T-10M-11 was then tasked with testing new FBW system, and it crashed Decemeberm 2001. T-10M-12 continued the tests and as a final aircraft it was offered to Brazil with or without TVC as wanted for them.

The program was since 2003-2004 “quitly buried” and it was replaced by T-10BM since then.

Easy:

T-10BM (Bolshaya Modernizaya) is OAO Sukhoi internal designation. Program started in 2003-2004
Su-27SM2 is Russian Air Force expected designation (if they buy the aircraft)
Su-35 is export version and must not be confused with 1992 vintage Su-35 (Su-27M VVS, T-10M internal designation)

Su-35BM was sometimes used to diferentiate to the old Su-35 program (exponent of that program devised for Brazil was the “712” or T-10M-12, while originally since 1988 it was devised that ALL the Su-27M/Su-35 will use TVC, that was tested on 711 or T-10M-11, but the engines were not the expected Al-31FU (augmented thrust) but just TVC-ised Al-31F.

The article is very specific on the radar being the Zhuk-M

And the source of that article, a JDW report from February 2, 2006 didn’t mention anything about the radar 😮 …

The upgrade price is pretty pretty high, let’s wait how would it outcome.

Seems to be a good year for RSK MiG 😉

Basic Al-31F could be used at derated power setting (11.400 kgf bench thrust) and at war uprated settings (12.700kgf bench thrust)…lower figure lenght considerable the life of the engine and its used to be used on training sessions at least on the USSR.

Is know if India ever used the derated settings of their engines, at least the Al-31F?.

Thanks for answeres.

R-33 lacks datalink. R-27R uses a datalink transmited by the sidelobe of the radar N-019 multiplexed with the main beam. Same for R-77.