Su-30 fighter jet competes in air combat with F-16 in the sky of Indonesia

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

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 made on the occasion ofIndonesian Air Force Founding Day April 9in the sky of the capital Jakarta.

The Su-30 and F-16 squadrons took off from Husein Sastranegara and Atang Sendjaja International Airports, before converging in the skies above 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 maneuverability of these two types of fighter jets is fully utilized by the pilots, but the advantage seems to be on the side of the Su-30s when they successfully cut off and chase the enemy.

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

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

The Su-30MK2 is a heavy fighter jet produced by Russia, 21.9 m long, 6.4 m high, 14.7 m wide 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 purchasing 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