We are now on the third part of the series and we are here with the third competitor the Mig-35 Fulcrum F which is classified as a 4++ generation fighter aircraft. The Mig-35 is a much more modern version of it's classic cousin the Mig-29 which sent the West into a panic. The Mig-29 is a fighter which combined 4th generation technology with 3rd generation hardware. The aircraft had mechanical fly by systems due to the fact that the Soviets believed the pilot is one who should've the complete authority on the aircraft and push its limits, the aircraft at the time of service has a radar which was at least a generation behind it's western counterparts and a very low fuel storage capacity meaning it would not be able to take long range missions or missions which involved taking down of high value aerial targets. But even after these problems the Mig-29 remained a formidable dog fighter. The first time a Soviet fighter defied the laws of practicality and mass production. The Mig-29 is a beautifully sculpted fighter with the ability to carry out super maneuvers and has a high angle of attack. The Mig-35 comes from the family of second generation of the Mig-29 series which includes the Mig-29 UPG and the Mig-29K and the Mig-35 which has several major structural modification along with upgraded engines, avionics and other major systems. The Mig-35 is a combination of all the recent technologies used in the later variants of the 29 family for example it consists of Trust vectoring engines from Mig-29 OVT , the modern systems from Mig-29SM. The Mig-35 is a multi role, double engine, double seater combat aircraft. Engine The Mig-35 is powered by two newly extensively upgraded engine by Klimov called the RD-33MK which is fitted with thrust vectoring nozzles and is smokeless unlike it's predecessors. These engines provide very high thrust which enables the Mig-29K already in service with the Indian Navy to take of without sacrificing weapons load or fuel. The engine also has a FADEC system and provides good performance in extreme environmental conditions. The parts can be individually replaced and it's takes complete advantage of information and diagnostics systems. The engine uses BARK digital monitoring and control systems. With these systems it makes servicing and repairing very easy. The engines have a high service life of 4,000 hours. The engines are also armed with an infrared and optical signature visibility reduction system. Radar, Sensors and communication systems The 35 is armed with Zhuk-AE (E stands for export) is an Active electronically scanned array radar (AESA) with a detection range of 160 Km for aerial targets and 300 km for naval targets like ships,patrol boats. One of the highly advertised feature of the Mig-35 is the OLS system OLS stands for Optical locator system according to it's designers the latest generation OLS on the Mig-35 can hunt down fifth generation fighter. The OLS system acts like a human eye for the aircraft. It can locate,detect and target enemy bogeys and it acts like a passive radar minus the emissions. Unlike radar which releases emissions while working the OLS doesn't so in case you're tracking a target with your OLS system the target cannot find out whether it's being tracked or not. The current generation OLS system on the Mig-35 is made of the second hardest material after artificial diamonds called leuco-sapphire. The OLS-UEM can detect & track air targets automatically. It consists of IR camera with matrix 320x256 and TV camera 640x480. The mirror scan the air space of +/-90 degrees horizontally and -15/+60 deg vertically. Target can be detected from 45 km (rear hemispere) and 15km (front). Laser rangefinder work in two modes. Training (safe for eyes) and combat, in a range from 200 m up to 15 km. The station weigths 78 kg and is mounted in the same bay as the old OLS-29 was During high speeds the small dust particles in the air can cause harm to the glass which would hamper with the working. The Mig-35 packs a RWR (radar warning receiver), SPJ ( Self protection Jammer), A SOAR system to detect and track incoming missiles at the aircraft, SOLO provides a 360 degree coverage for laser detection it can detect if the aircraft is being illuminated from a distance of 30 Km with 0,5 degree accuracy. The aircraft also packs an Italian mad electronic jammer ELT/568(V)2 self-protection jammer which jams and protects the aircraft from the radar controlled Anti-aircraft artillery.It also has an OLS-K system which designed to detect and track ground based targets and has a range of 20 Km. Most of the Optical systems on the aircraft has been designed and made by NPK SPP design institute which earlier designed optical systems for space systems. Cockpit Unlike the previous generation where the cockpit was smacked with electro-analog systems the Mig-35 shows a different picture altogether. The pilot's pit consists of two large multi-function displays which shows all of the information of the aircraft and the co-pilot's pit packs an impressive number of 4 MFDs . The Mig-35 features an open design which allows the integration of foreign components instead of OEM systems. The cockpit compared to earlier Mig-29 models is more functional helps in getting better situational awareness and makes the pilot and the co-pilot's job easier. Weapons The aircraft's suite of guided weapons includes Kh-31A anti-ship missiles with active radar seekers, the Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, Kh-29TE missiles and KAB-500Kr TV-guided bombs. Added, when equipped with an external optical / laser targeting pod, the fighter can use the Kh-29L air-to-surface missiles and KAB-500L laser-guided bombs. These weapons will allow the aircraft to engage aerial and land targets. What would India gain from selecting this fighter ?
Indian Air Force has been actively upgrading it's Mig-29 aircraft to the latest standard so they can serve till 2030. Indian Mig-29s have also experienced combat operations during the Kargil war where they carried out combat air patrol and targeted Pakistani Air Force F-16s from Indian Air Space locking them with Beyond visual range missiles. The Mig-35 with it's relatively cheap price tag of $50 Million per unit can be a steal and if bought in large numbers would be able to combat almost any aircraft in the PLAAF and Pakistani Air Force. Egypt is looking forward to purchase 53 units with a total price tag of $2 Billion. The United Aircraft corporation is keen on doing full transfer of technology and supports the Make In India initiative. The Indian Air Force can take the path as it did for the SU-30 MKI creating and introducing new upgrades in the following batches and ended up with one of the most advanced flankers in the world something which also impressed the Russian and led to the development of SU-30 SM. Image credits: Click on the images Written by - Sarthak Das make sure to like our facebook page. |
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