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References: <BxtK7n.1LJ@law7.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:47:30 GMT
Approved: military@law7.daytonoh.ncr.com
Lines: 43
From jjian@tsoft.sf-bay.org (City Hunter)
In article <BxtK7n.1LJ@law7.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> Fengxi Zhou <fengxi@prancer.eche.ualberta.ca> writes:
>According to a recent issue of Air International, China is to coproduce Mig-31
>with Russia. The first move will be assemble 24 examples from pre-manufactured
>sets and then coproduce further 48 examples. Some of them will be delivered
>back to Russia. The rest is presumably going into PLAAF service. The same
>sources (as well as other sources) also indicated that PLAAF has aquired at
>least 12 Su-27 with further deliveries in the pipeline.
>
>Now some questions. Mig-31 is a dedicated high altitude, high speed interceptor.
>It has a long range, a good radar, has some sort of mini-AWACS capabilities, but
>poor agility and low altitude performance (it is a derivative of Mig-25). Since
>China is getting Su-27s, which are potent interceptor and counter air fighter,
>have good (better?) radar, superb maneuverability and much more flexible, why
>buy Mig-31?
>
When I first heard of the news, I was puzzled too, but if you think about it,
it does make some sense for Chinese to co-produce Mig-31. As I understand it,
the primary purpose of the Mig-31 for Chinese airforce would be for AWAC duties.According to Aviation Week, 4 Mig-31s flying abreast would make a mini-AWAC
covering about 500-600miles, and they can vector other aircrafts in the region
thru data links.
So why Mig-31 and not AWACs?
1. China is a large, yet poor country. To cover most of its airspace
would require quite a few of AWACs aircrafts, and AWACs are expensive.
2. PLAAF is huge but obsolete, its main fighters are J-7s & J-8s which
are just modified Mig-21s, it'd have a hardtime trying to protect its AWACs if
PLAAF has them. There aren't enough SU-27s to go around, and there are better
things for SU-27s to do than guard AWACs.
3. By getting many Mig-31s, PLAAF can have the capability of AWACs to
direct the thousands of non-rader equiped Mig-17,19,21s that make up PLAAF. At
the same time, it can have a force of high-speed intercetors, and there's no
need to use Su-27s or other advance fighters to protect this AWACs. It's one
thing to close-in to a converted transport, quite another to close with an
interceptor that can shoot further than you. And when worst comes worst, Mig-31
can still try running, there aren't many aircrafts that can out run a Mig-31.
