Top 3 fighter jets guarding Vietnam's skies during Tet 2017

Unlike previous years, this year the task of guarding the country's skies is limited to only three types of modern fighter aircraft including Su-30MK2, Su-27 and Su-22.

After the legendary MiG-21 fighter jet officially retired, this year a trio of Sukhoi fighter jets will take on the task of guarding the skies over Vietnam so that people can have a peaceful and happy Tet.

Despite serious flight safety incidents last year, thanks to the collective efforts of the Air Defense - Air Force, the Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets of the three air force regiments 935, 923 and 927 are ready to perform their duties to protect the peace of the people during this Tet holiday.

The Su-30MK2 is currently the most modern fighter aircraft of the Vietnam People's Air Force. The total number of aircraft in service is 31, in addition there are 4 Su-30MK versions with combat capabilities equivalent to the MK2.

The Sukhoi Su-30MK2 is a very large aircraft, 21.93m long, 14.7m wingspan, 6.36m high, empty weight 17.7 tons and maximum take-off weight up to 34.5 tons. However, it is still considered one of the super maneuverable fighters thanks to the extremely powerful AL-31F engine providing 123kN thrust/unit.

The aircraft can reach a ceiling of 17.3 km, maximum speed (when not carrying auxiliary fuel tanks and external weapons) is Mach 2 at high ceiling and 1,350 km/h at low altitude.

Maximum flight range when carrying 2 R-27R1 medium-range air-to-air missiles and 2 R-73E short-range missiles, operating at low altitude is 1,270km; at high altitude is 3,000km; if refueled once is 5,200km and refueled twice is 8,000km; continuous operating time in the air can be up to 10 hours.

The Su-30MK2 is designed to perform a wide range of missions, including air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-sea combat. Therefore, it is capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons, of course with a very large total payload, up to 8 tons with 12 hardpoints on the wings and fuselage.

The second type of modern fighter aircraft participating in protecting the airspace during Tet this year is 10 advanced air superiority fighters Su-27SK/UBK. Compared to Su-30MK2, Su-27 is more inclined towards air combat, air superiority, and sky control with higher mobility.

The Su-27SK/UBK are both capable of deploying 8 tons of weapons on 10 hardpoints, allowing them to carry short- to medium-range air-to-air missiles. However, their air-to-ground/air-to-sea roles are limited, as they can only carry unguided bombs and rockets. Currently, all 10 Su-27s are assigned to the 925th Regiment stationed in the South of the country.

During the past year, the A32 factory has successfully overhauled several Su-27s using technical documents purchased from abroad. This has significantly improved the quality of the aircraft after 20 years of operation (purchased since 1995), ensuring its combat capability for many more years.

The size of the Su-27 is equivalent to the Su-30MK2 (more precisely, the Su-30MK2 was developed on the basis of the Su-27). Thanks to the pair of AL-31F engines, the fighter's flight performance is very good. The aircraft can reach a ceiling of 18.5km, the maximum speed at high ceiling, without weapons is up to Mach 2.35. The Su-27 has a low altitude flight range (carrying 4 air-to-air missiles) of 1,340km, at high ceiling up to 3,530km, continuous flight time of 4.5 hours.

Finally, and also the most numerous fighter aircraft in the Vietnam People's Air Force today, is the Su-22 fighter-bomber.

Although it is an aircraft line with air-to-ground capabilities, thanks to its swing-wing characteristics that are beneficial in air combat, the Su-22 aircraft was chosen by our air force to temporarily replace the MiG-21 in the mission of protecting airspace.

The Su-22 fighter-bomber is equipped with an AL-21F3 jet engine that allows it to reach a maximum altitude (without weapons) of up to 14.2 km, a maximum speed at high altitude of Mach 1.7, and a maximum range (carrying 4 PTB-800 auxiliary fuel tanks and 1 ton of weapons) of 1,380 km at low altitude and up to 2,300 km at high altitude.

The Su-22 fighter-bomber has no radar, only a laser target designator for air-to-ground missiles and bombs. In air-to-air missions, the Su-22 can carry two R-60 heat-seeking air-to-air missiles.

Hopefully, in the next few years we will be able to purchase a more powerful air combat fighter that will take on the role of protecting the airspace instead of the Su-22 and reduce the burden on the Su-27/30 to focus on the task of protecting the country's seas in a very complex and tense dispute situation.

According to Kienthuc