Ah,… neither does my partner.

Agreed. They’d look terrible on a man.

What Indian reports? OK, btw, that is definitely a type/ variant of Bars, not the original Bars as seen in Flex’s pictures.

Are you sure its for the MKI?
… the production quality has improved as well. Or it could be the angle pic was taken, but the thin orange brown metal rivet like thingies that are in between the antenna and the backend are now less visible thanks to the increased number of the items above. In earlier pics, you could see the tapered metal prongs in batches, with the orange bars behind them and visible.
The fact that the report says “type/ variant of Bars” is also significant, otherwise it would have just been Bars.

I dont think its AESA, because an AESA would be shown as an integrated antenna and this looks like the same Bars but an evolution, this is definitely (IMO) a PESA but there are changes to the underlying design.

Nothing conclusive though. IMO, there is more likely of Bars recieving an Irbis style upgrade now to TWTs and receiver/ SP than a brand New AESA.

For one, there is no report of a NIIP AESA being ready to begin with.

AESA will come as a MLU, I think.

Thanks for your reply Nick_76 🙂 , just some addenda:

As Bars has been in series production since 1997 it is possible a passive array upgrade/retrofit is underway, however it just feels a bit late in the day.

The latest ‘Vzlot’ article refers specifically for the MKI (http://www.take-off.ru/ , so if it’s an active array it’s still falls into the delivery timeframe for the final batch of Su-30MKI sometime 2011/12. I think ‘domain-b’ reported this 02/07, though google press found zilch- there is a wikipedia reference (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-30MKI and I suppose we could watch closely the details of the next MKM order which is imminent.

Meantime, if any of our Russian comrades could buy the journal 05/08 and divulge it’s details- that would be nice 😉

Flex, still no word on whether or not that array is AESA from the online site of ‘Take-Off’, the journal itself maybe more specific. However, it reiterates it’s for a “type/variant of Bars” for the Su-30MKI and Indian press last year claimed the last batch of 40 MKIs would be delivered with AESAs. Perhaps Nick76/Abhimanyu or others can shed more light on it.

SOC, the small tail fin design is a research trait of the people at 2TsNII, who looked into it for UCAV design(s) but MiG favoured the tail-less wing.
However, in conjunction with 3D-TVC it’s a viable concept for a heavy weight fighter.

What is extraordinary though, is despite having demonstrated ducted S intakes on 1.44/S-37 that impression above retains Flanker intakes, which Russian stealth researchers said represented “a huge problem”. So why bother with internal w/bays- let’s have overwing pylons too!!

I’d say you are seeing things you want to see… one of us surely is right..

But flex, I’m always right……even when I’m wrong 😉

Right flex, firstly we won’t know for certain if this is an AESA ’till next month’s Russian ‘Take-Off’ journal (in which more details will be given) is published.

I merely use deductive reasoning:

firstly, the details given reffered to a variant of the Bars, the final Russian PESA is Irbis-E, and I believe that’s for Chinese Su-35s only (if they order them).

The likelihood of a new passive array being developed for Bars is ZERO, as opposed to the likelihood of a future active array being shoe-horned onto the Bars- is 100% guaranteed (not sourced from Carlo Kopp).

If you look at the pics the array is similar in configuration to Elta’s E/LM-2052 mock-up, the MMIC ‘guts’ are visible beneath the array.

On the 2nd pic if you notice the varying venear finish of the modules and compare to the F-15’s AN/APG-63(v)2- it’s the same (also visible on APG-79).

Epolet-A was NIIP’s AESA tester & the last pic was an X-band module block from MAKS’07.

Am I right, or am I right?

N.B. Guys this thread is drifting way off course.