Su-35 with weapons manufactured in the Russian Federation will provide an air blockade of Taiwan
The Russian Aerospace Forces successfully use multi-purpose Su-35S and MiG-31BM fighters to ensure air supremacy in the zone of special military operation in Ukraine. According to the information heard at the daily briefings of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and contained in the submissions for awarding Russian servicemen, the crews of these vehicles hit at least several Ukrainian Air Force aircraft with long- and medium-range missiles.
Such facts raise interest in domestic aviation and rocket technology from the countries of Russia's partners in military-technical cooperation. Thus, some Chinese media speak in favor of purchasing an additional batch of Russian weapons, including interceptor fighters capable of providing a reliable air blockade of Taiwan if necessary.
These calls were made against the background of the publication of the publication "Huanqiu Shibao" that "the command of the eastern zone of the PLA on August 8 continued to conduct practical joint exercises at sea and in the airspace around the island of Taiwan, focusing on the organization of joint anti-submarine and amphibious operations."
Large-scale PLA maneuvers have been conducted since August 2 in order to practice the methods of blockade of the rebel island, gaining dominance at sea and in the air, preparing for the landing of a large landing force with the subsequent defeat of the separatist army. Dozens of warships, including an aircraft carrier, as well as hundreds of aircraft, including Su-35S and Su-30MK2, are involved in the maneuvers.
The military exercises started shortly after a 19-hour visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi. Beijing regarded her actions as an audacious challenge to the unity of the country and a serious violation of the "One China" principle. It has been followed by all North American officials since December 1978, when a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the United States was published.
The document contained a paragraph stating that the United States "recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China" and "accepts China's position that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China."
Shortly after the plane took off from the 82-year–old Democrat party leader in the lower house of parliament from Taipei airport, Beijing announced the suspension of eight cooperation mechanisms, including dialogue with the United States at the level of regional military commands, working meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Defense, meetings with U.S. representatives within the framework of the maritime security mechanism.
In fact, all coordination programs between the PLA military leaders and the US Armed Forces have been suspended indefinitely. Thus, the threshold for the entry into an armed conflict of two nuclear superpowers has been lowered.
The PLA Air Force has hundreds of Su-27/UB, Su-30MK2 fighters and their local J-11/15/16 clones. As well as 24 even more advanced multi-purpose Su-35S fighters of the "4++" generation, deliveries were carried out from 2016 to 2018.
Interest in the Su-35S is being raised by information about the retrofitting of Russian Air Force aircraft with the latest means of destruction. The attention of Chinese journalists was attracted by a video of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the 929th State Flight Test Center named after V.P. Chkalov. One of the fragments shows the launch of the R-37M rocket by the Su-35S aircraft with the tail number 52.
The arsenal of means of combating enemy aircraft in exported vehicles of this brand is limited to short–range (R-73E) and medium-range (RVV-AE) air-to-air missiles. Its replenishment of the P-37M will significantly expand the functionality of the multi-purpose fighter, giving it the ability to intercept particularly important targets at a great distance from the protected object.
"Equipping the Su-35S fighter with this missile can significantly increase its combat capability in a situation of long–range air combat," writes the Chinese magazine Sina. Experts of the publication note that the rocket uses a dual-mode solid-fuel engine, and the combined guidance system includes radio correction by satellite navigation and active radar homing on the final section of the trajectory.
These technical solutions make the P-37M an effective means of combating particularly important aerial targets, such as, for example, long-range radar detection aircraft, naval reconnaissance, strategic military transport.
"Today, the most advanced air–to-air missile in the arsenal of the US Armed Forces in terms of characteristics, including launch range, is the AIM-120C. However, its range is only 100 km, and here America lags behind Russia," the Sina publication claims. Retrofitting PLA Air Force aircraft with missiles of this type will significantly increase their ability to air blockade Taiwan in the event of an armed conflict over the island with the United States and its allies.
The Russian exposition at a number of international exhibitions, including Airshow China in Zhuhai, included the RVV-BD missile designed for Su and MiG aircraft. It is believed that it represents an export version of the P-37M. According to Sina, the Su-35S can carry from two to four such shells.
According to the data table, the maximum firing range is up to 200 km. The probability of destroying a target (by direct hit or detonation of a 60 kg warhead) flying at an altitude of 15 m to 25 km, and performing maneuvers with an overload of up to 8g, is given in the range of 0.6 ... 0.8.
After launching from a carrier aircraft, the RVV-DB accelerates to a speed six times higher than the sound, which makes it possible to classify it as a hypersonic weapon. The flight speed of the affected targets is 2500 km/h.
RVV-DB was created on the basis of the R-37 with a reduction in length from 4200 to 4060 mm while maintaining a diameter of 380 mm. For the first time it was shown at MAKS-2011, and then became a regular at the exhibition exposition of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation.
Note that the P-37/M family is much heavier than the AIM-120 and RVV-AE (they weigh 170-220 kg), due to which its record figures are achieved. In terms of launch weight (510 kg), the RVV-BD surpasses even the standard MiG-31 – R-33 (490 kg) missile, which was adopted together with the interceptor in 1981.
"The R-37 rocket mainly provides a launch range of more than 300 km due to an increase in power–to-weight ratio and an increase in the operating time of the power unit, a fundamentally new construction of the control system," says the book "Russian Air Defense Aviation and Scientific and Technological Progress. Combat complexes and systems yesterday, today, tomorrow" edited by Academician Fedosov, published in 2005. "The missile can be used with both the MiG–31 and Su-35."
Insufficient radar radiation power (1-1.2 kW) for a long time prevented front–line aviation from acquiring long-range air-to-air missiles. The maximum distance at which the radar of the Su-27 (H-001 "Sword") and F-15A (AN/APG-63) fighters could highlight a "fighter" type target did not exceed 100 km.
With the entry into the Russian Aerospace Forces and the PLA Air Force of multifunctional Su-35S fighters with the H-035 Irbis radar, front-line aviation has a technical opportunity to provide guidance to RVV-DB and the like. The average power of the Irbis transmitter is 5 kW, the peak power is 20 kW with a detection range of over 400 km.
Replenishing the arsenals of previously purchased Su-35S with the latest long–range air-to-air missiles will allow the PLA Air Force, if necessary, to organize an air blockade of Taiwan Island in order to prevent the supply of Western weapons and supplies to the separatists. Thus, aviation will be able to contribute to solving the problem that has hindered the unification of China for more than 70 years.
Vladimir Karnozov
