Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force will work with the Indian Air Force to conduct “joint fighter drills,” a move that will allow the JASDF to get up close and personal with the Su-30 fighter for the first time, “so that it can better respond to the same fighter aircraft equipped by the PLA,” according to the Global Times website, citing a report from the Japanese “japan-forward” website on September 1.
The report said the Indian Air Force intends to use Russian-developed Su-30MKI fighters in the exercise, “the first time the Japan Air Self-Defense Force has conducted joint training with Russian-made fighters. “Considering the threat from China, the JASDF and the IAF hope to conduct joint training before the end of the fiscal year 2021.”
The IAF has 263 Su-30 series fighters and 61 MiG-29 series fighters, according to the report. In the joint exercise with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, India will field six Su-30s, “a major move considering China’s deployment of Su-30s over the East China Sea and repeated approaches to Japan.” A former Air Self-Defense Force pilot said, “It would be groundbreaking to have a joint exercise.” He believes that the JASDF will not only learn about the aircraft’s performance characteristics in terms of maneuverability, range and fuel consumption through the joint exercise, but as part of the exchange, Japanese pilots are even expected to board the cockpit of the Su-30 and will have a better understanding of how the Russian and Chinese air forces use the Su-30, which will help the JASDF improve its emergency takeoff strategy in response to such fighters.
Chinese military expert Zhang Xuefeng said on the 2nd that the Su-30MKI equipped by the Indian Air Force is very different from the Su-30MKK equipped by the Chinese Air Force, and that “this Su-30 is not that Su-30”.
The Su-30MKI uses a three-plane aerodynamic layout, a thrust vectoring engine, the Snow Leopard passive phased array radar and an Israeli electronic countermeasures system. It is different from the Chinese-equipped Su-30MKK from aerodynamic characteristics to avionics system.
Even if Japan understands the Su-30MKI, it does not mean that it can develop countermeasures against the Su-30MKK of China. As the Indian Su-30MKI and the Russian Air Force Su-30SM fighter in the same lineage of technology, India-Japan exchange activities have a greater impact on the Russian military, it is possible that India will be “spanked” by Russia.
