The Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter plane was made based on what the Russian Air Force wanted. It is made by a Russian company IRKUT. NATO reporting name Flanker-H. The Su-30SM is considered a 4+ generation fighter jet.
In September 2012, the first Su-30SM fighter plane made for the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) took its first flight.
The Su-30SM can be used for anti-air, anti-land, and anti-sea operations. It is capable of performing early warning and electronic countermeasures activities. Within a group of combat aircraft engaged in cooperative missions, the plane also serves as a command and control platform.
Many air forces worldwide, including those of Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Belarus, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Uganda, Venezuela, and Vietnam, use fighters from the Su-30MK family.
Su-30SM’s Design
The titanium and high-strength aluminum alloys that make up the Su-30SM’s airframe are among its many impressive features. The IRKUT and JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau collaborated to create the Su-30MKI aircraft for the IAF.
The forward portion of the fuselage includes the cockpit, radar modules, and avionics storage. Excellent maneuverability was accomplished by integrating an aerodynamic shape with a thrust vectoring mechanism.
The Sukhoi Su-30SM is outfitted with a global positioning system, an inertial navigation system, and friend-or-foe recognition technology. It also consists of Modern equipment, such as a new radar system, radio and recognition system, and other support systems.
Two pilots can sit side by side in the glass cockpit. Each member has access to ejection seats. In the cockpit, cutting-edge avionics include a head-up display and liquid crystal multifunction screens.
Su-30SM has What Engines?
The two engines of the fighters are the AL-31FP by-pass turbojets that are reheated. These engines provide a combined after-burning thrust of 25,000kgf. The power plant allows for a top speed of Mach 2 in the horizontal plane.
With a maximum range of 3,000 kilometers and a flight time of 3.5 hours without refueling, the Su-30SM is an extremely capable fighter jet. The airplane has a refueling probe in the air.
landing system for the Su-30SM
The Su-30SM’s tricycle landing gear can be retracted hydraulically. Single wheels are mounted on the primary landing gear units. Each section may rotate 90 degrees to stow away in the forward compartment located at the wing’s root.
In order to prevent skidding, the main landing gear’s carbon disc brakes are electrically powered and have a cooling fan.
Steering of the forward, retractable, single nose-wheel is accomplished through hydraulics. The brake parachute is stored in a compartment in the tail cone at the back of the aircraft.
Su-30SM weapons and Tech.
The Su-30SM can carry a heavy load of advanced armaments (up to 8 tons) in the hold. The plane can drop bombs, air-to-air fire missiles, and even launch supersonic anti-ship and land-attack missiles called Oniks (Yakhont).
Oniks, created by NPO Mashinostroyeniya, was the foundation upon which the BrahMos hypersonic missile was built. Oniks’s maximum usable range increases from 120 kilometers to 300 kilometers with increasing altitude.
The aircraft’s onboard air-to-air and air-to-surface guided/unguided weaponry allow it to tackle airborne threats and ground and naval surface targets. It can be armed with rocket launchers and other land attack weapons.
It also has a 30 mm GSh-30-1 autocannon fired from a single barrel. In-flight refueling (IFR) is a feature that ensures operations even when the aircraft is located far from the nearest airfield.
Additionally, two SAP-518 jamming pods can be mounted on the wingtips for use in electronic warfare. The SAP-518 is meant to thwart many air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles by disguising the planes as harmless targets, disrupting the missiles’ guidance systems, and jamming radars of enemy planes and ground and sea-based radar air defense systems.
