Gomig-21
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Here's my 2 cents worth regarding the EAF SU-35 Deal that I posted on ACIG a while back.
From an Egyptian regime military mouthpiece page we have the following information regarding the Su-35 saga.
The deal is currently 'suspended' pending major improvements stipulated by the EAF, but considering the current international climate I would say that the deal will be cancelled altogether, even if the EAF pilots were still in Russia at the time of the report being written.
So here is a summary of what was in the report:
There indeed were 5 aircraft delivered to Egypt. These 5 aircraft were subjected to a considerable amount of testing and were trialled in several exercises, including international exercises in Egypt (read with the French) and the results were disastrous.
The IRBIS-E radar did not function as advertised and detection ranges were just over half of what the Russians had been claiming. Furthermore, the Radar could not guide a missile beyond 100kms, which made it useless if you had longer ranged missiles. Further to this the IRBIS was prone to malfunction and there were too many cases where the system failed in mid flight and would also lock up and require rebooting. The Egyptians complained to the Russians about these issues and stated basically that the aircraft was not as advertised and would not be accepted by the EAF. All 5 aircraft were promptly disassembled and shipped back to Russia pending the Russians coming up with an AESA radar based on that in the Su-57 to replace IRBIS along with a host of other requirements/improvements the Egyptians stipulated before they would be accepted. To add further insult to injury the EAF promptly informed their Algerian counterparts of the issues they'd identified.
The report further stated that the deal breaker was the aircraft's performance and not CAATSA. Due to US pressure on South Korea, certain components and materials required for the production of the radars have been withheld which has held up any further work being done in that regard.
Yeah but who cares about all those little details, we can just tape a little piece of chicken wire mesh on the front disc of the IRBIS-E right on top of the TR modules and hot wire a pair of 9 vt batteries and give the radar the added boost of 50 kilometers of power & range and everyone is happy yalla khalas ba2a.
I mean look at this thing, bro. It can't be that bad!
Was that the story about the Rafale's SPECTRA jamming the IRBIS-E that was running rampant all over the internet and Youtube and tiktok and crapbook and facecook and all that socio sshhhtttuuuffff?
Because supposedly that was some genius fake "modification" of the actual story which was between a French Rafale and an Indian Su-30MK during one of the Cope-India exercises way back I think in 2010 when -- and supposedly -- the story goes that one of the French pilots in a Rafale worked his SPECTRA and jammed the BARS radar on one of the Su-30MKs which the Indians weren't happy with and ended up making major changes to a pre-production variation of the Zhuk-AE X-band AESA radar before accepting and signing on a contract with Sukhoi & Russia for HAL to produce the now Su-30MKI in India. But then they decided not to go with the Zhuk-AE (since it probably wasn't finished and Phazatron was AND STILL IS having trouble finishing it) and instead do a pashed replacement of the BARS with their own, domestic UTTAM AESA radar and with French and zionist avionics and JMHCS and a bunch of integrated stuff to fire their BRAHMOS and ASTRA and Nirbhay and all the goodies they have. Maybe @Faceless or @MirageBlue or @indushek can correct me if I'm wrong about the whole story including with the Rafale and the Su-30MK?
Not only that, but even the story sounds way too simplistic like the typical Russo-equippo-basho con story unfortunately like so much of what the west constantly tries to throw on Russian-made equipment which tends to give it a very unfair hearsay liable IMO. There wasn't even a mention of the fact that the Su-35S doesn't only operate the main IRBIS-E, but it actually is assisted by the pair of N036L-1-01 L-band AESA arrays on the leading-edge wing flaps for a much broader & capable radar projection. Granted they're not X-band AESA arrays rather L-band but still, they're the same ones going in the Su-57 to work with the main N036B-1-01 X-band nose-mounted AESA radar.
Either way, I still don't think there was the issue with the Su-35S because it doesn't make any sense TBH that they would have a preliminary agreement and sign a $2.5 billion contract and pay a substantial deposit (I'm sure we all know nothing of this caliber starts without a major deposit of at least 1/3 - 1/2 total payment or some substantial incremental payment) on an order of 28 aircraft of this type and have at least what, 21 of them completely finished -- that we've all seen via satellite pics -- parked waiting to be delivered and someone is saying that all of that occurred without the EAF testing the radar let alone the entire aircraft and its complete systems thoroughly prior to any contract being signed? Is that what people are really saying? Do we even begin to realize what a fadi7a that would be or the extent of the ridiculousness that such a disastrous thing would even be suggested? Haraam ya gama3a mesh lazem nakhod el khazou2 da kol marra! lol
What I personally would be willing to buy is that there was some issue with CAATSA but that it was going to take some time to get resolved and maybe the EAF discussed the possibility of modifying the IRBIS-E to the N036B-1-01 X-band AESA since Phazatron was starting to pump them out with the production of the Su-57 and the delay would solve both problems and upgrade the entire Su-35SE with complete AESA capability. But sadly, that's even wishful thinking and I think the whole thing is strictly US bullcrap pressure (because we know CAATSA is a real thing and does exist) and that seriously needs to be addressed by Sisi & co. because we have way too many systems invested with Russia and need to add more that this ridiculous stipulation by the US because it has some bug up its *** because of Russia is frankly ridiculous.