Eccentricity? Why is the Su-30 fighter jet purchased by India more advanced than China?
Recently, the news that the Su-30 fighter purchased by India is better than the version purchased by China has attracted attention. Many people question, why did India acquire more advanced aircraft than China's Su-30 fighter, which was also manufactured? Is there a so-called "eccentricity"?
First of all, we need to understand several versions of the Su-30 fighter. This fighter has been in development since the late 1980s, and after continuous refinement and upgrading, a variety of models have been produced. Among them, China introduced two models, the Su-30MKK and Su-30MKI, while India bought the more advanced version of the Su-30MKI.
The Indian version of the Su-30MKI was originally designed with the needs of India in mind, so it has been optimized and improved in many ways. For example, the Indian version of the Su-30MKI has been replaced with an AL-31FP thrust vectoring engine, which has significantly improved flight performance. In addition, India has equipped its own Su-30MKI with radar and other electronic equipment, further increasing the combat capabilities of the fighter.
In comparison, the early Su-30MKK and Su-30MKI purchased by China are slightly inferior in terms of performance and configuration. These early models of the Su-30 were not equipped with thrust vectoring engines, and the level of electronics was relatively low. However, with the development of technology, China later independently developed and produced the J-16 fighter, which was superior to the Su-30MKK and Su-30MKI in all aspects.
To sum up, the reason why the Su-30MKI purchased by India is more advanced than the Su-30 purchased by China is mainly because the Indian version of the fighter was designed with the specific needs of India in mind and optimized in many aspects. In addition, through international cooperation, India has equipped the Su-30MKI with more advanced equipment and weapons systems. In contrast, although China purchased an earlier version of the Su-30, it later succeeded in developing a more high-performance J-16 fighter through independent development and innovation. Therefore, it is not reasonable to make a simple comparison of the Su-30 purchased by India with the Su-30 purchased by China.