With regards to VL Shtil, I thought it was installed on the second batch of Talwar frigates? It showed up in the models…

Also I wonder if the addition of thrust vectoring nozzles(like the KLIVT, supposedly retrofittable) to the MiG-29K would improve its short take-off characteristics.

How do you know them? Any sources or like that? Are you believe that all technologies will be shared? Or which engine will Indian FGFA use, 2nd stage engine, izd.117 or export version”117S”?

I don’t think its gonna be an exception from the F-35 program. How much technologies does USA share with its partners?

As our defence minister said, other countries may have technologies even better than Russia, but they aren’t willing to share them. The main reason we chose to join the PAK-FA program is for the TOT. Else we could just buy F-35s like everyone else.;)

Maybe. The dish is physically larger, but I don’t know the processing power behind it or what kind of effect having the dish flush to the airframe would have.

The Searchwater radars for the British system are the same ones from the scrapped Nimrod MR4 planes. While I can’t seem to find any good range figures I’d expect them to be pretty powerful.

It’s been a long time since I read the article on the APS 784 radar, but I recall its stated range for detecting fighters was somewhere between 200 and 300km.

All in all, given the larger size of the radar I’d rate the British AEW system higher even if the Italian one is more compact.

And why only three arrestor wires instead of four?

At this point I will be happy if even one of the ships gets brought back.

IMO they’ll just go the way of the Typhoon class. Another legacy of the Cold War that’s too expensive to bring back.

Speaking of which, if one were to choose between reactivating the Typhoons(and arming them with cruise missiles like the Ohio SSGNs) and reactivating and upgrading the Kirovs, which would you recommend?

You just opened up a can of worms :p.

My quick thinking on the subject (Su-30 vs Su-34)….IMO ofc, but the RuAF really seems to want the Su-34:
1.) Crew layout.
2.) Crew protection.
3.) Aircraft armor
4.) Payload is actually much more on Su-34. It takes off with 12 tons no problem.
5.) Range is better, thought what you said is ofc true. I guess they want it all internal and protected though, not taking up pylons.
6.) Sensor suit (both attack and defense) specifically tailored for ground attack. This was a painful process, but apparently is nearing completion. Totaly different system from the 90s.
7.) Su-34 can supposedly use BVR missiles already, though actual employment as a fighter would be pretty dumb.

The Su-34 program also has been underway forever. Su-30 caught up and overtook it because of the export demand. However, I suspect if the Su-30 was modified to RuAF specifications (in terms of Su-24 replacement) it would not be ready for years. Instead the RuAF is getting a superbly tuned aircraft today.

Your question is relevant though, and has been argued a lot on Russian forums. All the more curious now that the AF is actually buying the Su-30SM.

I understand it has certain advantages wrt a ground attack role. But I I’m not sure they’re so great so as to justify all the funding that went into the Su-34’s development.

-Cockpit armor is not so important to modern fighters that prefer to drop PGMs from high altitude

-Side-by-side seating is may provide crew comfort for long missions but comes with limitations in pilot visibility for dogfights

-Not sure about the payload(any sources I see online only show 8000kg) but I should think 8 tonnes of PGMs and cruise missiles would be good enough for most applications

-Some of the other advantages of the Su-34 could have been applied more cheaply for the Su-27/30, like better ground attack radar capability and increased internal fuel capacity(via a longer tail spine). Besides the Flanker can have upto 14 pylons(with multiple ejectors), why not spare one or two for a drop tank?

All in all I get the feeling it would have been quicker and cheaper to optimise the Flanker design for ground attack than to continue the Su-34 programme for so long, especially after the Su-30/35 made their appearance.:confused:

Su-34 simulator.

I wonder why the Russians haven’t gone for all-glass cockpits on their new aircraft. Not only this but the Mi-28, Ka-52 and Su-33M as well…

Well I am a complete amateur on the subject of composites, so I can’t really comment past what I already said. It’s just a whole new composite wing….idk sounds ambitious to put lightly.

IIRC the IL-476 also has composite wings, and Russia managed that just fine by themselves already. If you ask me what would be really ambitious is to have a composite fuselage.;)