The Russian-supplied upgrade for China‘s licence-built fleet of Sukhoi Su-27SK singleseat fighter aircraft, produced by Shenyang as the J-11, is not as advanced or farreaching as once believed, sources have told JDW.
Earlier reports suggested China was close to fielding upgraded Su-27SKs that delivered a level of multirole capability approaching that of People‘s Liberation Army Air Force Su-30MKK.
To date only a limited new air-to-air capability has been added to the upgraded aircraft and China has not made meaningful step towards producing an ‘indigenised‘ Su-27 fitted with Chinese-built engines, weapons, rader or avionics. Furthermore, Russian industry sources have said that China is moving to halt J-11 production on the grounds that the design is out-dated and lacking in overall capability.
Upgrade work for China‘s J-11s began earlier this year under the leadership of Russia‘s Technocomplex group. Currently, " several 10s of aircraft" have been refitted under this programme, sources said. The main feature of this upgrade is centred around changes to the aircraft‘s Tikhomirov Scientific Reseach Institute of Instrument Design(NIIP) N-001 radar, that add the ability to fire the Vympel RVV-AE active-radar air-to-air missile. The improved N-001 VE can control a simultaneous engagement with two RVV-AE missiles.
The improved radar is not being built into aircraft on the production line. Instead, each J-11 produced by Shenyang has its rader shipped to Russia for upgrade by NIIP before being reinstalled by Chinese technicians. NIIP has offered several growth option for PLAAF J-11s including a further improved radar and the ability to launch the Kh-31 air-to-surface missile. None of these options have yet been taken up and the company says little interest has been expressed the acquiring a multirole J-11.
Neither are the upgraded J-11s compatible with China‘s own active-radar AAM, the PL-12.
同时也没有升级的J-11可以兼容发射中国的主动雷达制导空空导弹PL-12.
According to NIIP, China has not asked for PL-12 integration and the company has been given no technical information on the missile‘s operating modes whatsoever. It has long been thought that PL-12 capability was a cornerstone of China‘s J-11 upgrade plans.
China is also understood to be developing its own advanced firecontrol radar, perhaps to pair with the PL-12.
中国也一直被认为其正在发展于PL-12配套的先进火控雷达。
NIIP sources told JDW that, in their experience, local progress in radar development has been slow and China‘s capabilities still lag about 15 years behind the leading edge of radar technology.
China remains wholly reliant on Russia to supply the AL-31 engines that power both the J-11 and the Chengdu J-10 advanced fighter. JDW understands that supplier FSUE Salut is currently negotiating to provide a batch of 300 AL-31FN turbofans to support J-10 produnction.