The
Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) recently took delivery of the initial
batch of Irkut built Sukhoi SU-30 MKM. A total of 18 were ordered in a
deal valued at USD900 million.
The
RMAF’s SU-30 MKM is considered one of the most advanced weapons platform
of its type and is broadly equivalent to the Sukhoi SU-30 MKI operated by
the Indian Air Force. Like its Indian counterpart, the MKM is a
substantial advance from the baseline SU-30 maintaining the airframe but
incorporating a number of advances from the SU 35/37 project. Both types
feature thrust vector control engines as well as canards to increase
maneuverability. The main difference being the avionics whereupon the MKI
incorporates Indian/Israeli avionics whilst the MKM, for political
reasons, choose to incorporate a mix of Russian (ECM & ECCM systems),
Swedish/South African (SAAB-Avitronics Multi Sensor Warning System) and
French (Thales Holographic HUD, Navflir and Damocles targeting systems)
avionics systems. The MKM will be equipped with the Russian NO-11M BARS
radar which can track up to 15 targets and attack 4 of them
simultaneously.
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The
Kit
This
model was built using the Mini Hobby 1/48 SU-30 MKK kit. The kit provided
a good (and cheap) platform from which to build the MKM. As to be
expected, lot of scratchbuilding was required to build the various sensor
bulges. The IRST ball was shaved off and moved to the lower right part of
the front canopy and the kit’s nose was replaced by a resin nose. For
the cockpit, some modifications were made to depict the MKM’s digital
cockpit. The kit’s ejection seat was replaced by True Details’s KD-33
ejection seat. Markings came from VFA Production’s SU-30 MKM decal sheet
as well as a mixture of others.
Vernon
Happy
50th Merdeka Day
Malaysia
.
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