Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 23:25:53 EDT
From: <ZQH@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china,soc.culture.taiwan
Subject: Re: Specification of F-16, SU-27 (I)
 <1992Sep11.142630.7956@linus.mitre.org>

In <1992Sep11.142630.7956@linus.mitre.org>
129.83.161.10 (H. Chao) writes:
>>   PROC(Mainland)
>>     1). purchased about 24 SU-27 fighters last year.
>>     2). bought 72 SU-27 and 24 MIG-31 interceptors early this year.
>>     3). acquired the right to license-production of 200+ MIG-31
>>
>Why they want to acquire the right to license-production of 200+ MIG-31
>instead of MiG-29 or Su-27??  MiG-31 is not an air-superiority fighter.  It
>is only a interceptor with surveillance cappability.
>
Yes, MIG-31 is only an interceptor (no one expect it can do well in
dogfighting), BUT an excellent one.  I guess PROC/Mainland need it
to protect her vast air space and control the sky over Nan-Sha/Spratly
Islands in the South China Sea for the oil-exploration there.

Actually, MIG-31 is based on the failed MIG-25 with much redesigned
airframe, MUCH upgraded avionics AND much more powerful engines.

The 60's-era MIG-25 was a failure because its avionics were TOO
outdated without LD/SD (Look-Down/Shoot-Down) capacities and its
missile AA-6 had a range of only 20km --- any jet fighter with
capacity of firing U.S. Sparrow AAM can out-shoot it.  So it can
only perform the reconnaissance mission with its Mach2.8 speed
and 30,000m altitude (just like the U.S. Blackbird SR-71) and
the defense-suppression mission with anti-radar ASM missiles,
hoping others don't have the missile capable of shooting it
down (actually, most of missiles are hard to maneuver against
fast-moving aircraft at the altitude of 30,000m because
the air is TOO thin there; even the Patriot missile will not
be able to shoot it down easily, since the Patriot missile's
speed is just over Mach3.0).  Well, Russia's own SA-10 air
defense missile may be able to do the dirty job with
a speed of Mach6.0(!) and a range of 120km.

The quantum leap toward MIG-31 includes:  a very powerful phase-array
pulse Doppler radar with the LD/SD (Look-Down/Shoot/Down) capacities
and normal detection range of 305km plus the TWS (Track-While-Scan)
capacities of tracking 10 targets and attacking 4 simultaneously
(still not as good as F-14's abilities of tracking 24 & attacking 6);
a long-range air-to-air missile AA-9 (the 2nd attempt to imitate
U.S.' Phoenix-type missile) with a range of 150km and a speed of
reported Mach6.0(!), which was reported to fly a trajectory course
at very high altitude (air is very thin there, so the resistance is
very small) in mid-course and snap-down in terminal phase with the
active radar search/guidance to `burn through' the electronic jamming.

MIG-31 has a so-called `maximum cruising speed' of Mach2.35 (I'm not
sure if this means the `super-cruising' as YF-22 without using those
fuel-guzzling afterburners, or just using the afterburners to break
the sound barrier and reach the optimal speed/altitude then using
the max military power without the afterburners. BTW, it has a
maximum speed of Mach2.8 at high altitude. Anyone majoring in
Aerospace Engineering please enlighten us), and a combat radius
(long-range intercept mission) of over 1500km --- enough to reach
the Nan-Sha/Spratly Islands from Hai-Nan Island without using the
inflight-refueling.  With AA-9 missiles, MIG-31 is an interceptor
which can shoot down enemy fighters right after they take off,
AND before they know where missiles come from.

Just image the conversation between Malaysian fighter pilots:
(Malaysia occupies 8 islands of the Nan-Sha/Spratly Islands and
 has very active military activities there, and it always harasses
 fishermen from PROC/ROC in the South China Sea, and it's a Muslim
 Fundamentalist government, which systematically discriminates
 against ethnic Chinese that is 37% of population, just FYI.
 Remember, not every country has an enlightened racial policy as U.S.)

  "Bravo 3, Bravo 3.  My RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) went off
   crazily.  I have turned on my jammer.  But there is nothing
   on my radar screen.  What's on your radar?  Over."
  "Eagle 2, Eagle 2.  I don't see anything on my radar..."
  "Bravo 3, there is a MISSILE at your 2 o'clock!"
  "Where is..."   ...Boom!
  "Bravo 3, Bravo 3.  Are you still..."   ...Boom!


Anyway, even though MIG-31 is an excellent interceptor, you still need
air-superiority fighters for CAP missions.  I guess there must be some
closed-door negotiations over purchases and/or license-productions of
SU-27 and/or MIG-29, given the fact that PROC military leaders made
frequent visits to Russia this year.  I think Russia would be more
willing to deal with PROC since the relationship is on equal basis
(not beggar and giver) and mutual-beneficial (while no one else wants
Russian's industrial products, PROC takes them in exchange of consumer
goods at fair prices, since both countries' currencies are deliberately
and severely devalued by itself and/or others), plus most of current
Chinese central bureaucrat were trained in Russia during 50's, they
have some common nostalgia about the `good old days' to share with
the current Russian bureaucrat (maybe 30 years from now, then-Chinese
leaders will be U.S. educated).

Anyhow, I guess PROC Airforce needs something to replace its 3,000+
J-6/MIG-19 fighters and its leaders clearly want their old big brother's
advanced airplanes (they have taken just about 500 J-7/MIG-21 and
about 200 J-8 so far, even though PROC's aircraft industry can produce
much more in addition to exports).  Some of those J-6 pilots/drivers
might fly the cheap group-attack jet Q-5 (800 of them have done so
and still growing).  Others may change to PROC self-developed
multi-role combat aircraft H-7 (like British Tornado).  In any case,
it will be take a long time to replace those J-6/MIG-19 fighters
(well some of them may be used as `gun-fodders' to absorb missiles
 attacking SU-27  ;-)  :-(  )  since there are just a few aircraft
factories in Mainland:

Shenyang:     J-8 fighters currently, most likely license-production site
Chengdu:      J-7 fighters currently, likely license-production site
Anshun:       J-7 fighters currently, likely license-production site
Shanghai:     McDonnell Douglas MD-82 140-seat passenger planes
Xi'an:        H-6/TU-16 bombers/tankers
              H-7 (Tornado class) multi-role combat aircrafts (pending)
              Y-7/An-24 48-seat passenger planes
Chenggu:      Y-8/An-12 (C-130 class) transport aircrafts
Nanchang:     Q-5 ground-attack aircrafts
Jingdezhen:   Z-8/AS-321(French) helicopters
Harbin:       Z-9/AS-365(French) Dolphin helicopters
              Y-12 17-seat commuter passenger planes

I guess it will take two or more years to set up the license-production
at those factories (maybe shorter, since they are using the same machine
and tooling system as Russia).  After that, those factories, especially
at Shenyang and Chengdu, are reputed to churn out fighters at high rates.
But in the meantime, those poor J-6 pilots have to wait at sideline :-( .

That's too much for today.

James Huang
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china