Su-33 transformed into Su-30SM, a spectacular comeback
In 2017, information appeared that Russia's Su-33 carrier-based fighters could be "retired" because their service life had expired.
According to initial information, the squadron of 24 Su-33s of the Air Force Regiment on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will be "retired" and their role will be replaced by the younger MiG-29K line.
However, this opinion has caused great concern because in reality the MiG-29K is a light fighter with a range and weapons load not equal to the Su-33, which will lead to limiting the power of the Russian aircraft carrier when it returns to combat force after completing repairs.
By mid-2017, at the MAKS 2017 Air Show, representatives of the Russian Navy announced plans to modernize the Su-33 with technologies applied on the Su-30SM. Most recently, the above project, as announced, will be carried out in 2018.
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| Su-33 fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. |
It is easy to see that the Su-33 and Su-30SM have some similarities in the fuselage structure, opening up easier prospects when upgrading the carrier-based fighter line to the Su-30SM standard, which is used on land airports.
Currently there is no clear configuration, but it is very likely that the Su-33 will replace the old generation N001K radar with the N011B BARS type installed on the Su-30SM, accompanied by a powerful AL-31FP 2-way thrust vector control engine, helping it take off from short runways with a larger weapon load, limiting the disadvantage of not having a catapult.
In addition, the aircraft is also integrated with the SVP-24-33 ground-sea target navigation and aiming system made by Gefest & T, which has been very successful on the Su-24M2s deployed on the Syrian battlefield.
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| The Su-33 will have new life when upgraded to the Su-30SM standard. |
To satisfy the service life requirement due to the relatively large and costly upgrade package, the Russian Navy's Su-33 carrier-based fighters will need to undergo a major overhaul and repair program to extend their service life.
After completing the upgrade to the Su-30SM standard, the Su-33's power proved to be far superior to the MiG-29K version, so it is unclear whether the light fighter of the famous MiG Company can still maintain its position.
One noteworthy observation is that Russian aircraft carriers will use both upgraded Su-33s and MiG-29Ks in parallel. The number of modernized Su-33s will stop at 16, the remaining gap will be filled by MiG-29Ks to create a mixed squadron because after all, MiG-29Ks still have the advantage of cheaper operating costs.
