The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has deployed Su-30MK2 long-range fighter aircraft for operations over Huangyan Island in the South China Sea.
The Su-30MK2 was by far the most reliable fighter type in Chinese service compared to locally made J-11B, J-15, J-35A and J-16, due to WS-10A engine issues and a restricted payload configuration that limited the range of Chinese-made aircraft.
The aircraft escorted H-6L bombers as part of a major show of force to demonstrate China’s claim over the island’s territorial waters and airspace, with its strategic location and disputed status making such operations strategically vital.
The Su-30MK2 were equipped with R-77 Russian-supplied semi-active radar-guided air-to-air missiles and indigenous YJ-91 anti-ship cruise missiles, while the H-6 bombers were armed for anti-ship roles with much larger YJ-12 cruise missiles.
The Su-30MK2 was developed specifically to meet the needs of the PLA Navy and, compared to the Su-30MKK design on which it was closely based, lacks improved radar, avionics, and communications.
Its new Sokol radar could engage fewer targets simultaneously and had a heavier antenna array, as well as lesser range against naval surface targets than the NIIP BARS radar.
Although fitted with Soviet-era electro-optical pods such as the Sapsan-E targeting pod and M400 reconnaissance pod. The Chinese Navy notably acquired the aircraft in very limited numbers, with just 24 procured, which appeared faulty, and Russia was unable to provide support for this equipment.
Notably, the J-11B, which entered service in 2009, has the same limitation as the original Su-30MK2.
The Su-30 was developed as an enhanced, longer-range derivative of the Soviet Su-27 Flanker fighter and inherited its long range, weapons-carrying capacity, and ability to carry heavier radar due to the AL-31 engine.
China has developed its own enhanced variants of the Su-27 design, with the most capable being the Air Force J-16 and Navy J-15B, widely considered underperforming aircraft by the PLA.
It is likely that the fourth-generation J-35 will eventually replace the J-11B and the Su-30MK2 in the Navy’s land-based fighter units, but J-35 inherited the same steel-aluminium airframe, making it heavier than originally planned by the PLA. The J-35 lacks the range and capability to fulfil the role of a proper maritime strike aircraft.
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