"Combining air superiority with striking power": the US appreciated the combination of Su-35 and Rafale fighters in the Egyptian Air Force

_{Illustrative photo - Su-35 of the Russian Aerospace Forces}

Egypt's procurement policy for fighters is ambivalent. On the one hand, the country's Air Force has already received half of the 24 Su-35 aircraft ordered in Russia. On the other hand, they increased their order for the French Rafale to 54 units, purchasing two dozen more vehicles.

Rejection of the F-16

Understand the specifics of the assembly of the Egyptian aviation tried publication Defense World (USA).
Initially, Cairo relied on American F-16 fighters, the last of which were transferred in 2013. A total of 240 vehicles of various types were received.

However, the Egyptian F-16s are among the least dangerous in service with America's allies, as they have not received modern weapons such as the AIM-120C air-to-air missiles.

- it is indicated in the publication, explaining that the absence of the AIM-120 missile launcher has reduced the range of destruction of targets to less than 70 km (using the older AIM-7P Sparrow). At the same time, Egypt's neighbors, such as Sudan, Libya and Ethiopia, have much more powerful Soviet-developed R-77 missiles installed on aircraft such as the Su-27.

It is believed that the US refusal to supply Egypt with advanced missiles was intended to preserve Israel's high-quality military superiority. In these conditions, the country's Air Force decided to update its fleet of fighters.

Three substitutions

The deal for the purchase of 30 Rafale aircraft came after an annoying supply of missiles from MBDA was settled. The sale of UR Meteor and SCALP was blocked by the United States, since they partially consisted of American-made components. Observers believe that this issue was removed only after the State Department finally issued its permission or MBDA was able to replace the filling from the United States with European products.

In 2015, Egypt signed a contract for the supply of about 50 MiG-29M fighters. They are said to be equipped with an OLS-UE infrared search and tracking system capable of detecting enemy aircraft by their infrared signature and tracking down ground threats. In addition, the aircraft are equipped with a PPK guidance system, which includes IR / TV systems and laser rangefinders, allowing the use of high-precision ammunition. They are also equipped with a small-sized electronic warfare system MSP, which imitates the homing heads of guided missiles.

All this, combined with the latest generation missiles, such as the R-77 and R-27, supplied without restrictions, at an aircraft price less than the cost of the comparable Rafal in terms of armament, made the contract with the MiG-29M irresistible.

- noted in Defense World.

At the same time, "everyone was surprised" by Egypt's purchase of 24 Su-35s in 2018. However, according to the publication, the precondition for this was the failure of Cairo to acquire the F-15. The Su-35 is equipped with new avionics, including the Irbis radar with a phased antenna array with a range of 400 km and powerful AL-41F1 engines (thrust 14 kgf) with thrust vector control. With regard to weapons, it can carry, in particular, air-to-air missiles R-500 and UR with radar guidance R-27-77.

Combination of fighters

There are questions about why Egypt bought the relatively expensive Rafale [talking about an additional batch of 24 units], when it was in the process of receiving 24 Su-35 aircraft to replenish its fleet of previously acquired MiG-29M fighters?

- indicated in the publication.

As the Egyptian sources explain, "the Su-35 serves a different purpose than the Rafale." The Russian fighter is designed primarily "to ensure the superiority of the Egyptian army in the regional sky." The Su-35 can simultaneously track up to 4 ground or 30 air targets, as well as hit up to 8 air targets simultaneously. He is able to identify the class and type of air targets and make aerial photography of the area. Rafale has different features. For example, UR SCALP has the ability to pierce well-defended targets and significantly increases the ability of a ground attack.

Combining Air Superiority with Striking Power

- a conclusion is made in the publication about the duet Su-35 and Rafale in Egyptian aviation.

Comments

[knn54]

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket".

[tralflot1832]

Well, they put the eggs in three baskets, the supply service is so happy.

[Orange bigg]

Smart people don't put all their eggs in one basket.

.Experts of the American edition of Military Watch are concerned about the fact that the Egyptian Ministry of Defense has again shown attention to Russian military equipment. So, according to the Americans, after the destruction of the power of the Islamists, who were betting on Western relations in 2013, the Egyptian armed forces abruptly moved away from a decade of dependence on American weapons to cooperation with the Russian military-industrial complex.

And although the purchases of high-class Russian air defense systems, such as the S-300 B4 and Buk-M2, did not come as a surprise to the experts, because the Western "partners" did not offer the Egyptians platforms with similar capabilities, the purchase of the fourth generation MiG-29M fighters was noted as a completely unexpected event.

According to the Americans, the Russian aircraft had a non-specialized multipurpose design, comparable to the American F-16C, of ​​which more than two hundred were “accumulated” in Egypt. It seemed that in the air the MiG-29 did not have any new capabilities, despite the fact that it was faster, more maneuverable and flew higher than the F-16. However, buying it could complicate the maintenance of the Egyptian air fleet, since it was a completely unfamiliar class of aircraft for Egyptian technicians. "In this regard, the question arose why Egypt bought Russian aircraft when it already had a large fleet of aircraft of the same generation and the same" weight category ", and with the same purpose in the form of the F-16," American journalists ask. ...

https://zen.yandex.ru/media/bigwar/vvs-egipta-aviapark-iz-rossiiskih-mig29m-i-amerikanskih-f16-601174745417684d81e640a2

Here, most likely, the journalists called the new MiG-29M for the Egyptian Air Force the MiG-35.

Another new-built MiG-35 aircraft performed by Project 9-61 was spotted at the LII named after. Gromov and received the tail number 801. The fighter was manufactured by RSK MiG at Production Complex No. 1 in Lukhovitsy near Moscow. After testing, the board will go to the customer, presumably the Egyptian Air Force.

https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/93212/

[Andrey Moskvin]

You just need to keep the basket better.

[Momento]

I do not know how true this is, but they wrote about a training battle between the Raphael and the Su-35. like dry-drying lost and immediately after that Egypt increased the order for rafali. and before that, it was about increasing the order for the su-35.
I don’t know how true this is - for what I bought it and I sell it)

[Zoldat_A]

Quote: Momento

wrote about training the battle between the Raphael and the Su-35. like dry drying lost

And in non-educational Have you tried a battle? Only he is the criterion of truth. Iron itself does not fight.

[Momento]

and here and there the gasket was Egyptian. and Egypt's main complaint about drying is radar. I'm afraid to be mistaken, but Rafal was able to give target designation to missiles at 80 km, and drying at 50 km.
but I do not know the conditions of the test - the French women could have tweaked something.

[Hexenmeister]

Target designation to the rocket is issued even in the suspension and before launch, and the Su-35 armament also includes long-range V-B missiles, the launch range of which is much higher than the indicated figures. Plus, during the guidance process, most of the flight to the rocket is the transmission of radio correction signals, including to long-range missiles.

[voyaka uh]

In a training air battle, Rafal with an electronic warfare system suppressed, confused the radar
Su-35. He lost the enemy and was conditionally shot down.
PFAR is more vulnerable to interference than AFAR.

[Liam]

And when were the Su-35s delivered to Egypt? Are there any official statements by Russia or Egypt on this score?

[Geofiz]

Can I link to the source?

[Zoldat_A]

Quote: voyaka uh

In a training air battle, Rafal with an electronic warfare system suppressed, confused the radar
Su-35. He lost the enemy and was conditionally shot down.
PFAR is more vulnerable to interference than AFAR.

Alex, !.
I will repeat what I said earlier

With our colleagues at VO from Israel, we are ideologically enemies before the fight, but humanly - excellent men.

And again, with your, Alexey, permission

Quote: Zoldat_A

Quote: Momento

wrote about training the battle between the Raphael and the Su-35. like dry drying lost

And in non-educational Have you tried a battle? Only he is the criterion of truth. Iron itself does not fight.

Only war, only direct contact is the criterion for the strength of arms. They want - we are not afraid, but we do not want to. Don't trust Ukraine and Stoltenberg. It is coming to that now. I don't know whether to war or not, but definitely to Cuban Missile Crisis 2.0.
.
About the fact that war is the only criterion for assessing the strength of weapons.
Here we were in Afghanistan. Spirits are born with a machine gun in their hands, they are at home, guerrilla warfare. Are there enough arguments so that no army in the world could defeat them? I am not saying that the Union of Afghanistan won. It is impossible to defeat him - some Americans did not understand this. But we, 18-19-20-year-old boys, yesterday's schoolchildren, broke these bearded men under 40, professional warriors, over the knee. With a Finn, one for four got up, it was. What is the record in the award list. And that is why we, who are now over 50, over 60, are respected in Afghanistan as worthy opponents by those who then shot in our backs in the bazaar in Herat and Panjshir.

So only war will experience weapons and the army. A comparison of performance characteristics or "training battles" - talk in favor of the poor.

[Charik]

probably Raphael had less EPR than the Su35, and so I saw him with 50 km.

[URAL72]

thereafter, Egypt increased the order for rafali. and before that, it was about increasing the order for the su-35.
I don't know how true this is

It is possible that Egypt will still return to the purchase of the Su-35. After all, it is far from a secret that work has been carried out for a long time to modernize the car, perhaps that is why Egypt decided to wait. In addition, Egypt receives money for armaments from the Persian monarchies, so they may well dictate what to buy.

[Momento]

Egypt has no ambition to go to war with Israel. his opponents are now Libya and Ethiopia. with Ethiopia, the moment-29m will be enough for them for the war. but Libya can drag in the Turks and then a pillow is needed. the Turks now have an advantage - f-16 mod 50+ with a long aeram-120S5. so they are looking for how to achieve parity.

[ja-ja-vw]

It smashed some kind of ukrosmi.
Neither the Egyptian Air Force nor anyone else has heard of this. Even the guardians

[Mikhail Zhikharev]

What ??? Here you are not there!

[Thrifty]

Well, their money, they bought what they saw fit. We would like to sell more weapons, this is the budget of our defense enterprises, and taxes to the state.

[rruvim]

The Su-35 is a great machine! I am a sofa expert, but on the DGS Rafale simulator (though I don’t know which configuration), 37 and 27 confidently go astray.

[Cheshire]

A 47th in logic with your eyes closed?

[parma]

And where is the news about the signing of a contract for 80 aircraft between the AEO and France?….

[The Dragon]

Where else have we sold sous 35? China 24 pcs. Egypt 24 pcs. What else is planned? Not counting the supply to the videoconferencing.

[Momento]

China is a minus. 24 pieces for them only for disassembly and copying. according to Chinese standards, they need to snatch at least 300 pieces.

[Fisherman]

In 2013, the Egyptians trampled down the Muslim brothers, whom the Yankees brought to power, after which the Yankees blocked the upgrade of the Egyptian army by the American new weapons, and Egypt abandoned the military technologies that were disabled by the Yankees. I, too, would not buy anything from the enemy.

[75 Sergey]

Is Rafik a stormtrooper?

[Normann]

Rafik is the innocent)

[kytx]

Rafik type drummer

[Baloo]

So what? The Egyptians are doing it right. The Americans are stuck with the delivery of new missiles and it is not known what else to expect from them. What remains is that we find those who are not in the air and are ready to equip the sold aircraft with modern weapons and calmly form our Air Force with good and different aircraft with different tasks, everything is OK!

[Charik]

so the Su35 can, no worse than Raphael, DESTROY ground targets that are mobile, that are stationary, fortified, the line of weapons available for use on the Su35 is possibly longer than that of Raphael, from fab100 to some kind of Brahmos, what they did with this Scalp, the X59 is such a family for every taste and GOS of different types and in terms of range from and to, cheap and cheerful, I suppose one Rafale is worth it, like a Su35 with a pair of asp kits.

[gregor6549]

A few words about the capabilities of the SU-35 radar. First of all, the number of air targets that the SU-35 can detect and track with this radar is questionable. The only mode that can be used in this aircraft to solve these problems is the mode of automatic detection and tracking of air targets. By definition, there can be no question of any semi-automatic or automated modes of speech, and there is enough work for the pilot without it. Well, the automatic machine, alas, has a very limited ability to solve the above problems. Therefore, God forbid the automatic device to ensure the detection and stable tracking of at least 4-6 targets. And not the 30 mentioned in the article. The declared detection range of 400 km is also a thing in itself. Perhaps such a range can be provided against targets such as B-52 in the absence of electronic countermeasures from the enemy. For targets with low RCS, which also use stealth technologies, the detection range of 50-75 km seems to be more or less realistic. Again, in "clear" weather, that is, without the use of electronic warfare by the enemy. And the funniest thing is that such ranges are the operating ranges of SU-35 aircraft and their analogs, because it is a very dubious activity to shoot long-range air-to-air missiles into the white light without seeing the results of the firing. For stationary ground targets, such shooting is quite possible even at the maximum distances for both radar and missiles. Although here it is useful to have a couple of your guys with a laser designator nearby

[kytx]

You said everything almost correctly.
But they have their own specifics there.
It is difficult to fit into the head of a white man

[Hexenmeister]

Don't write nonsense! Even in the Su-27 radar thirty-five years ago, 10 targets were normally accompanied, there is nothing critical, but it is much more difficult to provide the required number of simultaneously attacked targets, especially those of different types (air and ground). The detection range of the "IRBIS" is given in three squares, and not in a bomber, if you cannot figure out how this is achieved, then do not argue about it. Well, the stories of how electronic warfare selectively affects only Russian developments is beyond praise. And at the same time, figure out the principles of missile guidance "in-in".

[Vincent price]

Apparently the Russian air export is coming to an end. Mig 35 did not work out, sous 57 is expensive, 75 is paper. With our dictated managers, you can't count on progress. Very, very sad. They finished the Soviet legacy in the aviation industry.

[Butchcassidy]

5000 years without democracy, what to want from Egypt? Of course, the heirs of the ancient Egyptians - the Copts now do not rule the state, but the Egyptian Arabs also stand apart from the rest.