The Times Now reporter had tried the JF-17 simulator which should be as good as the real thing and he certainly wasn't impressed. The Su-30MKI is one of the best versions of Su-30/Su-35 ..The two are simply incomparable no matter what we say.
MKI can act like a mini-AWACS, carry a cruise missile, carry the AWACS killer, long range A2A missiles. The radar is one of the most powerful in the world and combine that with superb aerodynamics and TV. How can you even compare the two, dude ?
It would be more logical to compare JF-17 with LCA after LCA is inducted (between 2010-2011)
JF-17 is to be the backbone of PAF, while LCA is not in case of IAF. There is a reason why the IAF is not interested in LCA. They could spend 10 billion dollars of the MMRCA on LCA and make it into a better plane. JF-17 is a whole different class, with tested weapons, inducted and flying combat sorties in the north-west plus mock fighting against the F-16s, J-7 and Mirage III/V. LCA has a lot to cover.
Su-30 can fire cruise missiles?
So can an old PAF ROSE Mirage. That too being the Pakistani made Ra'ad cruise missile. Tested and tested again.
Brahmos is still not integrated fully even though the plane and missile are both from Russia.
If Su-30 engages it's radar for AWACs, then the amount of computing power for combat tactics is severely reduced. You have to compromise one for the other. There is a reason why SU-30 MKI radar can track 15 targets and engage only 4 of them, even though it might be carrying 10 external AAMs. Once the Radar/Computer are engaged in searching, tracking, engaging and constantly directing the missile to right target, most of the computing power is used up.
JF-17 is not designed to counter Su-30mki one on one but supplement other jets which do. J-10 is more or less for that job.
If a single engine,single seater, 7 hard point, 12,700kg MTOW, Mach 1.8 top speed, 20 million dollar plane could go head to head with a 40 million dollar, twin engine, twin seater, 10 hard point, 38,800 kg MTOW plane,
Then there won't be any Su-30MKIs flying.
The thread is about J-10 lets keep it there.
I would appreciate the beauty of Su-30Mki any day, but this thread is certainly not for that purpose.
PAF already has engineers in Chengdu working on seeing if J-10 can be made into a much better plane. Thrust vectoring engines being one of them. A current J-10B would be a headache for any plane currently in the inventory of the IAF including future MMRCA contenders. The problem for PAF, is the steep price it comes with, which makes them wonder should they buy this plane or by paying some more cash, get western fighters. That is one thing we will only know after the Indian MMRCA is initiated.