Sukhoi Su-30
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The Sukhoi Su-30 is a military aircraft that was produced by the Russian company Sukhoi in 1996. It is a dual-role fighter and costs 38 million dollars. The K variant costs 33 million dollars while the MKI variant Sukhoi Su-30MKI built for Indian Air Force costs 45 million dollars. It is a derivative of the Sukhoi Su-27. More than 140 of these planes will be delivered to India by 2008.
The Su-30 is an excellent multi-role fighter, the Russian equivalent to the American F-15E Strike Eagle. It can carry an array of TV, IR, and radar guided missiles, as well as anti radiation missiles for SEAD missions, and of course unguided bombs and rockets. The maximum speed of any variant of the plane is mach 2.3. It, like all other Flankers, has a large fuel capacity, giving it a very long range and high combat endurance.
The design incorporates a straked delta wing, with strake and body blending, first seen in the American F-16 Falcon. This allows the airplane to fly at extreme angles of attack without stalling -- illustrated in the so called "cobra maneuver". Another characteristic of this airplane are thrust-vectoring engines. This allows the nozzles of the engines to be rotated alowing for fine control during low speed flight. The Su-37 takes this concept one level further with full three dimensional thrust-vectoring.
Two other Russian aircraft intended to serve as a tactical bombers and attack fighters are the Su-34, nicknamed the Platypus, and the Su-24 Fencer. Both are high supersonic aircraft, the Su-34 being yet another model of the Flanker series. The Fencer shares its basic design with the American F-111 fighter-bomber in that it is a variable-geometry, supersonic, tandem seat tactical bomber.
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