Russian fighters promise RI air superiority and massive bill
Russian fighters promise RI air superiority and massive bill
Berni K. Moestafa and Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Six years after the original purchase was aborted, advanced
Russian Sukhoi 27 and Sukhoi 30 jet fighters will soon enter
service with the Indonesian Air Force.
With another economic crisis unlikely to stop the Air Force
from getting its latest toys, the next question is: just how good
are the Sukhois?
"The Su-27 is a plane that gives air superiority," aviation
expert Ninok Leksono said on Thursday, explaining that the
aircraft's main purpose was to fly interception missions.
Interception means to stop incoming enemy planes, and this
makes the Su-27 primarily a defense-oriented combat plane.
As an interceptor, the Su-27 joins the ranks of the older Su-
15 Flagon, and the MiG-25 Foxbat, which at three times the speed
of sound remains the world's fastest combat plane.
Speed, flight range, and the ability to take out enemy planes
are the main characteristics of an interceptor.
"In terms of size and range, the Su-27 has often been compared
to the F-15 Eagle," said Ninok.
The crucial difference, however, is that the F-15 Eagle is a
strike or attack plane, the very type of enemy plane that the SU-
27 must stop.
Indeed, the Su-27 was born in part due to the threat the F-15
posed after the Russians learned that the Americans were planning
a new attack plane to replace the Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom.
The F-15 has demonstrated its prowess to worldwide television
viewers during the first and second Gulf wars.
While the MiG-25 Foxbat is fast, it lacked maneuverability and
the technology to effectively engage an invading F-15.
Against this foe, the Soviets wanted an interceptor, which was
agile and fast, could cover the country's vast borders and still
carry a heavy weapons payload.
Work on the latest Sukhoi began as early as 1969.
The Su-27 prototype, called the T-10, had its maiden flight in
1977, after which NATO named the plane Flanker. But subsequent
development ran into a wall. Two of the planes crashed and killed
the pilots, raising doubts over the T-10's design.
Moreover, when the F-15 Eagle entered service in 1976, it
dawned on the Russians that their T-10 upon completion would
still be no match.
In 1979 construction on new models began with a maiden flight
in 1981. These models then became the Su-27, which entered into
service in 1985.
The Su-27 has a wingspan of 14.70 meters, is 21.90 meters long
and weighs up to 33,000 kilograms when fully loaded.
Its maximum flight range is about 3,680 kilometers, enabling
the interception of enemy planes entering Indonesia from almost
anywhere in this country.
When a Su-27 is scrambled for an interception, it can climb to
a height of 12 kilometers in 55.5 seconds, then get to the enemy
at a top speed of Mach 2.35, twice the speed of sound.
An enemy plane entering Su-27-defended airspace could well
find 6,000 kilograms of air-to-air missiles screaming toward it.
Visibility, though, is not necessary. The Su-27 can spot an
enemy from a distance of 185 kilometers and more, depending on
the type of radar. Even without using radar, it can still detect,
track and hit a target.
Being a world class dogfighter, the plane is made for close
combat. So the last thing an enemy pilot may see is the Su-27's
30-millimeter cannon firing at him.
To hit targets on the ground, the Su-27 can carry a five-
round rocket pod under each wing or a load of freefall bombs.
By now, however, the Su-27 faces a new generation of strike or
attack planes, such as the F-16 Falcons and F-18 Hornets.
Ninok dismissed concerns that the Su-27s had been rendered
obsolete by the new American planes. "The Su-27 is being upgraded
all the time, with new weaponry, radar and other technology being
added to it," he said. The plane was actually designed to allow
for a maximum variety of modifications and upgrades.
Also part of Indonesia's deal with Russia is the purchase of
the Su-30 KI, which has a better ground attack capability.
"The Su 30 is more like the F-15 in that both are made for
attacking ground targets," Ninok said.
And with all its capabilities, he said, the Russian fighter
was also cheaper than most Western products.
Still, a glance at the Su-27 price tag reveals US$30 million
just for the plane without weaponry, or anything else for that
matter.
A fully equipped model costs some $100 million and Indonesia
plans to purchase 48 planes within four years.
The Sukhoi's air superiority and the subsequent leverage
officials say it will add to Indonesia's diplomacy will
eventually cost Indonesia billions of U.S. dollars.
Yet few here ever protest about the purchase of expensive
military hardware. This remain just as true today as it ever was,
even as the economy still reels under the impact of the crisis
and the Iraqi war showed the devastating effect of such weapons
against human life.