Su-30 fighter jet competes in air combat with F-16 in Indonesian skies

The simulated air battle was organized by the Indonesian Air Force between a squadron of Russian-made Su-30 fighters and F-16s purchased from the US.

Simulated close combat between Su-30 and F-16 Indonesian fighters.

On July 31, the Indonesian Air Force posted on YouTube a video recording a simulated air battle betweenSu-30MK2 heavy fighter and fighter aircraftF-16,according to ANational News.

According to experts, this video most likely records a simulated air battle conducted on the occasion ofIndonesian Air Force Foundation Day April 9in the sky of the capital Jakarta.

The Su-30s and F-16s took off from Husein Sastranegara and Atang Sendjaja International Airports, respectively, before converging over Jakarta to begin the air battle. The fighters engaged in one-on-one and two-on-two combat. Both sides continuously performed complex maneuvers to lock on to their targets and lose each other, combined with dropping heat-seeking decoys to fool heat-seeking missiles.

Military expert David Cenciotti said that in theory, the F-16 easily has the advantage in close combat thanks to its small combat weight and higher maximum speed than the Su-30MK2. However, the Su-30MK2 possesses flexible maneuverability thanks to its advanced design and high-thrust jet engine.

In the video, the pilots fully utilized the maneuverability of these two types of fighters, but the advantage seemed to lean towards the Su-30s when they successfully performed the tail-cutting and chasing phases.

Indonesian analysts believe that the Su-30MK2 can defeat the F-16 in air combat if the pilots are equally skilled, despite the fact that the Russian-made fighter is twice the size of its opponent.

Su-30MK2, Su-27SKM and F-16 aircraft in Indonesian service. Photo: Aviationist.

The Su-30MK2 is a heavy fighter jet produced by Russia, 21.9 m long, 6.4 m high, 14.7 m wingspan, maximum take-off weight 34.5 tons. Each aircraft is equipped with two Saturn AL-31F turbofan engines with a total thrust of 25,085 kgf, reaching a maximum speed of 2,120 km/h. The squadron of 11 Su-30MK2s is currently Indonesia's main fighter jet.

Before ordering the Su-27 and Su-30MK2, the Indonesian Air Force had 24 F-16 light fighters imported from the US. This aircraft is 15.1 m long, 5.1 m high and has a wingspan of 9.45 m. The F-16 has a maximum take-off weight of 19.2 tons, equipped with a General Electric F110-GE-100 turbofan engine with a maximum thrust of 12,950 kgf, allowing the F-16 to reach a speed of 2,470 km/h.

According to VNE