Although i understand your stance of “I believe it when i see it Deino” a contract is deffinetly happening and might get signed at MAKS. Apparently there is a delivery plan too;
http://forums.airforce.ru/matchast/6307-su-35-istoriya-serii-3/#post122195
Deino might get a little bit too defensive whenever the Chinese Su-35S contract is being discussed.. I think he would even pay his own money just to prevent that deal from happening..
To admit – and here I’m really sorry, that I get so much misunderstood in this case ! – I would love to see the Su-35S in PLAAF colours and even more I think the Sino-Russian relationship is in a much more healthy state than seen by many in the public … especially in the less informed one. The Su-35 is a formidable fighter (at least from what I understand) and would bring a real boost of new abilities, technologies and possibilities to the PLAAF it so far never had: TVC and modern avionics are surely only the 2. und 3. to mention after the 117S engine.
What only makes me angry each time – and here I’m more than thankful for each and every new, truly new information – that it became almost a game or I would even say a story like “Loch Ness” especially from certain circles who simply repeat and rewarm old stories. And even more not since they are simply uninformed , but since they want to spread a certain image:
China is way back to the US, way back to Russia – what both might be the case, esp. in regard to engines and regardless all progress achieved during the last decade – but they are aggressive (esp. in the SCS and ECS), they expand their armed forces, huuuuhuuu … and that all to justify the own huge military budget and national feeling in the US.
Again; I’m certain that the Sino-Russian relationship is in a much more healthy state than seen by many in the public and in the unofficial background there are many more projects going on either simply financed by the Chinese side (similar to the Z-10’s development with Kamov or the Y-20 with Antonov) or as true joint-developments. I even wouldn’t be surprised if Russian development assistance played or even still plays a much greater role in the J-20’s and J-31’s development than anyone would like to admit … or with that Tu-204C avionics testbed now at the CFTE.
Even more I wouldn’t be surprised if this strange Flanker-copy saga is indeed only a game for the public that in fact started as a true quarrel between manufacturing rights, licence agreements, contracted performances and so on … but now everything was solved behind the public and in the end an even deeper but secret cooperation and license contract was signed after the J-11B-story.
Maybe I’m just in a too good mood right now – maybe a forgot to take my chill-pills today! – but maybe this deal “could” include Chinese access to the twin-seater – now build as the J-11BS – and striker – now the J-16 – and still a regular income for Russia. Officially however the Chinese are the bad guys that steal and copy everything and Russia is the good one who sticks to its contracts … with benefits to both.
Why should the Russians keep delivering AL-31FNs to CAC for the J-10 if overall the relationship was so much damaged, why all the other cooperation projects if China is only the bad guy ? IMO there is more behind and one part of this is that Su-35S deal.
Deino
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