The third batch of Sukhoi Su-30MKK multi-role fighters to be delivered to China will be equipped with the Phazotron-NIIR Zhuk-MS multi-mode radar.
Anatoly Kanashenkov, Phazotron general director and general designer, says the radar has a multi-target capability and can detect and track small, moving ground targets. Phazotron already has contracts to supply China with Zhuk derivatives for its indigenous fighters, including the Shenyang J-8II.
Integrating the radar with the Su-30MKK weapons systems will take four to six months, says deputy general designer Yuri Guskov. Some experimental Su-27-family aircraft already have Zhuk radars, including the Su-33 carrier-compatible fighter.
It is not expected that aircraft already delivered to China - which are equipped with the Su-27's standard NIIPN001 radar - will be upgraded with the Zhuk.
Today's Zhuk-M and -MS radars are significantly different from those developed in the mid- to late 1980s, being equipped with modern processing hardware and improved analogue antennas. This boosts performance by 50%, says the manufacturer.
Phazotron is working on more advanced variants, including the Zhuk-MF equipped with a phased-array antenna. During MAKS 2001 the company unveiled a new active array for this radar. Kanashenkov says an active antenna could become available within a few years of funding being provided because the company is already working on critical technologies.
Source: Flight International
