Su-30СМ against F-22 in Syria

Russia directed on the base nearby to the Syrian Latakia at least four modern planes of the "Sukhoi" company Su-30CM. It is the next party of the military equipment developed by Russia in this Arab country destroyed by war. And still she sent tanks, armoured troop-carriers, heavy artillery and considerable forces of infantry to Syria.

Probably, the Russian armies developed in this region have a task to support Bashar al-Assad’s weakened mode in fight against IGIL. But without close interaction with the USA and with strengths of their allies which act in the region, there is a real danger of inadvertent confrontation. That is why the Minister of Defence of the USA Ash Carter (Ash Carter) called the Russian colleague Sergey Shoygu to exclude the casual conflict between the American and Russian armies. «Ministers of Defence talked about those areas where the USA and Russia have a proximity of positions, and about where they disperse», – is told in the Pentagon press release. Time for a call was chosen very unsuccessfully as the fighters Su-30CM appeared in Syria some hours later after that conversation.

That Russia sent to Syria to Su-30CM, quite logically. This plane bears powerful fighting loading and possesses excellent range. Moreover, it is multi-purpose and can be applied both in air fight, and to fight against the land purposes. And it means that fighters of fighting support are not necessary to it. Besides, the crew Su-30CM consists of two people that very opportunely at performance of complex challenges. For the same reason the plane of the U.S. Air Force of F-15E Strike Eagle and Naval Forces car of the USA F/A-18F Super Hornet in many respects being direct analogs Su-30CM, also double.

Though the Russian forces can play an essential role in maintenance of a mode of Assad, in an improbable case of collision with the American armies the small group of Su-30 will have few chances, and they will not for long hold on against an overwhelming American superiority. At armies of the USA in this region a rich arsenal of modern fighters most powerful of which is Lockheed Martin company F-22 Raptor. Moreover, the American forces in the Middle East region have a huge superiority in strength over the Russian.

Though Su-30CM is very efficient fighter of the fourth generation, it has no chances against "Raptor" – especially if air fight is outside the limits of direct visibility. At F-22 there are advantages literally on all indicators, except for range and fighting loading. The combination of a low-visibility and devices of detection will lead to that the Russian planes, most likely, will be destroyed still before their pilots will understand that became a target. During regular educational flights in the USA the group as a part of four F-22 combats 20 planes of the opponent that pilots found useful skills.

The unique unpredictable moment is if between the American and Russian planes there will be an air fight on visibility range. In air fight at distance of direct visibility Su-30 have some chances to resist before F-22. It has rockets with a passive infra-red rejected head of homing R-73 while "Raptor" is armed with the out-of-date version of the Sidewinder AIM-9M rocket – while. Certainly, excellent characteristics F-22 can compensate this shortcoming, but absence at the American plane of rockets with a passive infra-red rejected head of homing is a serious miscalculation, to eliminate which in the U.S. Air Force hope in the next years.

"Raptor" for certain will inflict a crushing defeat over Russian Su-30CM but if there will be an armed conflict between armies of these two states, it becomes a nightmare of universal scale, to test which anybody will not want. The most powerful escalation of the intensity becomes result, capable it is very easy to get out of hand and lead to serious war. Let’s hope that it does not happen.

Deyv Majumdar