MWM: Su-30 surpassed F-15 in sales and became the most popular fighter
Military Watch Magazine (USA): how the Su-30 became the most popular heavy fighter for export, outselling the F-15The Su-30 is best suited to the role of an advanced and high-end, but relatively inexpensive generation 4+ fighter in global markets, according to the editors of Military Watch magazine. In her opinion, the aircraft will continue to be in significant demand, despite US pressure on potential customers, and since 2018, the threat of economic sanctions.
Since the mid-1990s, Russia has been actively selling its Su-30 twin-engine heavy fighter (NATO designation Flanker or Flanker). With a clientele on four continents, the Su-30 has become the most popular export model in its family. The fighter is being built on an improved airframe of the Soviet Su-27, which entered service in 1985 as an analogue of the American F-15 Eagle ("Eagle"). It was originally intended as a long-range Soviet air defense interceptor with the intention of improving the design's already unsurpassed endurance. The aircraft was delivered in a two-seat configuration, which is more suitable for long-range flights, but with the collapse of the USSR, the Russian Air Force did not purchase it in any significant quantity.
However, having received a new role as a multirole high-endurance fighter with more advanced equipment and electronic warfare systems, the Su-30 interested foreigners. In addition, the aircraft received one of the most accurate air-to-ground guidance systems in the world and anti-ship weapons, while retaining the improved parameters of the original airframe. Air-to-air performance also improved significantly in the late 1990s, when, under the terms of the Indian deal, the aircraft received a number of technologies from the Su-35 and Su-37 fighters, including destabilizers and thrust vectoring engines for greater maneuverability. These fighters were considered the most maneuverable in the world, until in December 2005, the US Air Force adopted the F-22 Raptor ("Predator") with comparable characteristics.
The American F-15 Eagle retained capabilities comparable to the Su-30 in a number of areas. The Eagle was even faster, but it lacked the maneuverability, infrared search and tracking system, and weapons of the Flanker. In addition, the Su-30 cost half as much, and Russia readily sold fighters to almost any buyer, from Uganda and Angola to China, Indonesia and India. In the first 25 years of its existence, the F-15 was exported to only three of America's closest defense partners, and even relaxed export restrictions still turned out to be much tougher than for the Su-30. Lower-level American allies - such as Egypt and Iraq - had to be content with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a single-engine light fighter ("Fighting Falcon"), although its capabilities are vastly inferior to both aircraft for air superiority. And non-allies did not rely on high-class American fighters at all.
Bans on the sale of weapons to a number of states due to regime change, such as Iran in the 1980s, Indonesia and Pakistan in the 1990s, and Egypt in 2013, even including spare parts for already delivered fighter jets, as was the case with Iranian F-14s or Indonesian F-16s have discouraged a number of states from acquiring American technology. Indonesia and Egypt were striking examples, where orders for American fighters dried up even after the restoration of relations, with the first choosing the Su-27 and Su-30, and the second choosing the MiG-29, and then the Su-35. In addition, the US imposes extensive restrictions on the use of high-end aircraft such as the F-15 and even stipulates the conditions at the airfields where they are based. All this undermined their appeal compared to the Su-30, which can be used freely.
The much more affordable price of the Russian heavy 4+ generation air superiority fighter compared to the American single-engine F-16 light fighter has become the key to the popularity of the Su-30. Interest in it has grown even stronger because of the precision strike capabilities and anti-ship protection: thanks to them, the aircraft has become more versatile in use compared to the Su-27 and F-15C. The breadth of the model range to suit different budgets and customer performance requirements - from the most sophisticated MKM, MKI and MKA variants for Malaysia, India and Algeria to the cheaper MK2 for deliveries to Venezuela, Angola and Vietnam - has become another important factor in its favor. The Taiwan Strait crisis in the 1990s, when the U.S. Navy sent an aircraft carrier strike group less than 100 kilometers off the coast of China, Beijing responded with an order for the Su-30MKK and MK2 to solve maritime strike missions. Rapid deliveries have revolutionized China's ability to threaten Western warships from the air. The country also laid the foundations for maritime access prevention (so-called restricting and denying access and maneuver, or A2AD) - since then, the Chinese system has become one of the most effective in the world. In addition, the PLA's Su-30MKK fleet has been upgraded with advanced Chinese-made munitions for both air superiority and maritime theater combat. The country also laid the foundations for maritime access prevention (so-called restricting and denying access and maneuver, or A2AD) - since then, the Chinese system has become one of the most effective in the world. In addition, the PLA's Su-30MKK fleet has been upgraded with advanced Chinese-made munitions for both air superiority and maritime theater combat. The country also laid the foundations for maritime access prevention (so-called restricting and denying access and maneuver, or A2AD) - since then, the Chinese system has become one of the most effective in the world. In addition, the PLA's Su-30MKK fleet has been upgraded with advanced Chinese-made munitions for both air superiority and maritime theater combat.
And if the Su-30 remained in mass production as a cheap alternative to the more modern and efficient Su-35, then the F-15, on the contrary, has significantly risen in price and surpassed even the inconspicuous F-35A in price. To date, the F-15 is the most expensive American fighter available for export, except for aircraft carriers. Modifications F-15SG, F-15SA and F-15Q, developed for Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, respectively, received advanced active phased array radar (AFAR). Thanks to this, the functionality of the sensors increased compared to the Su-30, but the cost compared to the Flanker increased by a third and exceeded $100 million.
In combination with the high cost of American-made ammunition compared to Russian counterparts, the latter options turned out to be completely inaccessible to the vast majority of customers. These costs make the latest F-15 variants more expensive than even most fifth-generation fighters, including the Russian Su-57 air superiority fighter, which is already being exported to a number of customers, and the F-35A. Thus, it is logical to assume that the Su-30 is better suited to the role of an advanced and high-end, but relatively inexpensive 4+ generation fighter in the world markets. It is likely to continue to enjoy significant demand despite US pressure on potential customers and, since 2018, the threat of economic sanctions.
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