Vietnam's Su-27 plows up the target after upgrade

The Su-27UBK fighter jet with serial number 8526 of the Vietnam Air Force has just participated in a live-fire exercise after completing the upgrade.

This information was mentioned in a report recently broadcast on QPVN Television Channel. Fighter Regiment 925, Division 372 just sent Su-27 fighters to participate in a live-fire exercise organized by the Air Defense - Air Force Service.

It is known that the Su-27UBK 8526 fighter is one of the first Su-27 fighters out of a total of 5 in the first batch that Factory A32 self-repaired to increase its service life, according to the People's Army Newspaper at the end of 2016.

Target was hit by air strike.

Although it has not been revealed what standard the Vietnamese Su-27s have been upgraded to, based on the paint job of the Su-27UBK 8526 (similar to the Su-30), international media has stated that it is very likely that Vietnam is upgrading the Su-27 fighter to the Su-27SM3 version with completely new equipment and power equivalent to the Su-30.

Indonesian newspaper quoted Russian manufacturer Sukhoi as saying that the Su-27 upgrade to the Su-27SM3 standard will make these 4th generation aircraft possess capabilities equivalent to the Su-35S aircraft even though their appearance has not changed much.

Specifically, when considering beyond-visual-range air combat capabilities, the Su-27SM3 is equipped with the N001VE-Pero passive phased array radar, an upgrade based on the N001VEP installed on Su-30MK2 aircraft.

The N001VE-Pero radar can control missiles to attack 6 air targets or 4 ground targets at the same time, the detection range of large aircraft is increased to 190 km compared to 150 km of the N001VEP.

The Su-27UBK 8526.

In terms of close-range dogfight capability, the Su-27SM3's engine is the AL-31FM1 with a thrust of 135 kN (compared to 123 kN of the AL-31F) and an advanced flight control system that helps it achieve higher speeds than the Su-30SM and an increased range of up to 4,000 km.

In terms of close-range dogfight capability, the Su-27SM3's engine is the AL-31FM1 with a thrust of 135 kN (compared to 123 kN of the AL-31F) and an advanced flight control system that helps it achieve higher speeds than the Su-30SM and an increased range of up to 4,000 km.

And to be able to exploit the operating and flying skills, combat skills on the electronic systems and modern weapons of the new aircraft, Su-27SM3 pilots must be trained proficiently on the flight simulation system specifically for this aircraft.

The flight simulation system of the Su-27SM3 aircraft is equipped with very modern equipment, close to the actual use on real aircraft. It includes a system of screens displaying the space in front of the aircraft and screens displaying parameters, operating status, and weapons on the aircraft.

If the Vietnamese Su-27 is really upgraded to the Su-27SM3 standard, it means that the strength of the Vietnamese Air Force has been significantly improved. However, this is only information from foreign media, while there is no official source from Vietnam confirming this upgrade package to the SM3 standard.

According to Baodatviet