India's Su-30MKI To Get Stealthier with Radar-Absorbing Paint

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is embarking on a comprehensive upgrade program for its backbone fighter, the formidable Su-30MKI.

This extensive modernization effort, a collaboration between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the IAF, and private industry, seeks to bolster the capabilities of the IAF's workhorse multirole fighter.

The Challenge of Radar Visibility​

A key focus of this upgrade initiative is addressing the Su-30MKI's radar signature.

While a powerful and versatile aircraft, its substantial size (approximately 30 tons) results in a relatively large Radar Cross-Section (RCS). This means the Su-30MKI is more easily detectable by enemy long-range radars, potentially hindering its effectiveness in highly contested battlespaces where stealth is critical.

India's Innovative Solution: Radar Absorbing Paint​

In response, India's Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur, has developed a technologically advanced solution – polyurethane-based Radar Absorbing Material (RAM) paint.

This specialized paint incorporates magnetic functional fillers embedded within a polyurethane resin system. The combination offers multiple advantages:

• Superior Endurance: The polyurethane resin ensures the paint can withstand harsh weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold, maintaining its effectiveness over time.
• Optimized Absorption: The magnetic fillers are engineered with precise sizes and shapes to maximize the absorption of radar waves.
• Versatile Applications: This RAM paint is designed for use not only on the Su-30MKI, but also on other airborne platforms and even ground-based strategic assets.

Benefits for the Super-30​

Though it will not render the Su-30MKI a true stealth fighter, RAM paint will considerably reduce its radar signature. This means enemy radars will have a more difficult time detecting the aircraft and will only be able to do so from shorter distances.

Strategic application of RAM paint on high-RCS areas of the Su-30MKI, such as air intakes and leading edges, promises greater survivability in modern combat environments.

Coupled with other elements of the Super-30 upgrade program, this RCS reduction measure will help keep the IAF's fighter fleet a potent and relevant force well into the future.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Usually a APU generator would be driven by engines which would supply onboard power. We are dealing with several hundred Kilowatts of power supply. Using Li-Ion batteries here will require dedicated circuit breakers and a power management system. Even when u have regenerative braking, u still require a APU to generate power any way, which only increases cabling and the overall weight. On an aircraft adding more weight is absolute no no.

Yeah, weight would have been problem with using batteries.

APU is auxilary power unit, is it not used for backup power or similar function. I didnt know that it served main power function on the jet.

 

[Sandeep]

All of our Sukhoi jets need to be upgraded with more modern indigenous technology, more composites where we can reduce our RCS if we include our indigenous radar absorbing paint over it. This should also be applied to all of our fighter jets as it will improve its survival rate.

This radar absorbing paint will be ideal to use on our Tejas MK1A as with the large amount of composites we use and the small size of the jet it will make the jet even more stealthy.

 

[Sandeep]

Without a potent AESA Radar how are we supposed to lock the planes at the first place?
PESA Radars get jammed by DRFM EW.

We can use a long range BVRAAM with a range of around 300km which will keep our radar far away before they can even use their AESA radar or EW to jam our system

 

[Pad UwU]

Too much talks and story but less action...let's if they really doing it before taking a decade to come true😺🙃

 

[Pink Panther]

With large canards, I am not certain how much of an effect the RCS reducing paint would have on the airplane.
I guess the IAF would want to instead bet on installing AESA Radar instead of the PESA ones that Su-30 MKIs come with.

I have read that the real bottleneck with AESA is that the AL-31 engines do not generate enough energy to power AESA radars and it may require that AL-31 be replaced with AL-41 engines during the upgrade. But looks like IAF is not keen on the engine upgrade and go with the AL-31 engines.

This is why Russians removed Canards in SU-35, actually we don’t need canards if there is thrust vectoring nozzle attached to engines, they also need to install more powerful AL-41F1 engines and may be 3D thrust vectoring like in SU-57.

 

[Pink Panther]

Cant we just slap on a Lion battery, to power this radar, sort of like a plug in Hybrid vehicle. Lion batteries have become very advanced and power dense today.

But they have to be charged by a powerful alternator that will add more weight, for more power we need to add more batteries, the current tech available today may not provide enough power, Solid-state batteries offer the potential for higher energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, so may be in the future.

 

[Pink Panther]

I hope this type of paint may lack in other 4.75 Gen Fighters they might either import or take help of western countries.Most important is GaN based AESA Radar for Super Sukhoi with 1800 to 2400 TRM with bigger nose cone

Our DRDO has invented a RAM paint, which they use in Tejas and MIG-29’s already.

 

[Aayush Pratap]

With large canards, I am not certain how much of an effect the RCS reducing paint would have on the airplane.
I guess the IAF would want to instead bet on installing AESA Radar instead of the PESA ones that Su-30 MKIs come with.

I have read that the real bottleneck with AESA is that the AL-31 engines do not generate enough energy to power AESA radars and it may require that AL-31 be replaced with AL-41 engines during the upgrade. But looks like IAF is not keen on the engine upgrade and go with the AL-31 engines.

The funny thing is they'll fight the installation of AL- 41s tooth and nail for the next 5 years and then have an epiphany one day that they should've done that in the first place..right in the middle of the upgrade.

 

[kumar]

Wing spans, geometry and heat signatures also play vital roles.

 

[Hari Sud]

Without a potent AESA Radar how are we supposed to lock the planes at the first place?
PESA Radars get jammed by DRFM EW.

Thank you for correction

 

[The Presence]

We can use a long range BVRAAM with a range of around 300km which will keep our radar far away before they can even use their AESA radar or EW to jam our system

Firing is impossible without locking. You have to get in range.

 

[Dredd]

With large canards, I am not certain how much of an effect the RCS reducing paint would have on the airplane.
I guess the IAF would want to instead bet on installing AESA Radar instead of the PESA ones that Su-30 MKIs come with.

I have read that the real bottleneck with AESA is that the AL-31 engines do not generate enough energy to power AESA radars and it may require that AL-31 be replaced with AL-41 engines during the upgrade. But looks like IAF is not keen on the engine upgrade and go with the AL-31 engines.

Su Sukhoi Upgrade is already approved. It includes AESA, New ASPJ, Avionics upgrade, IRST upgrade etc.

 

[desigandu]

What can we go down to in terms of RCS, while we should not forget IR signatures, given proliferation of passive EOTS and IRST sensors...Can't do much for the design, shape etc, but this may give the MKIs a chance of late detection which combined with Astra 2 and 3 can be effective.

 

[desigandu]

Larger radars with more T/R modules require a very powerful Aux Power Unit (APU), which again requires more powerful engines. With the current engines, it wont be possible to create a radar with so many T/R modules and to cool it as well. Unless DRDO/ASTRA Microwave somehow manages to make a breakthrough in economically fabricating GAN modules, at least initially we would probably see GAAS AESA radar with about 1700-1800 modules, which though not exceptional would offer a marked improvement in performance over the now obsolete BARS PESA.

AN/APG-85s are rumored to be with 2500-3000 TRMs, with a very powerful engine (150-190KNs)...

 

[desigandu]

Cant we just slap on a Lion battery, to power this radar, sort of like a plug in Hybrid vehicle. Lion batteries have become very advanced and power dense today.

More powerful engines with the ability to cool the exhausts is key to stealth (Radar and IR) and only the American engines are there as of today (F-135 from 125-191KN) and NGAD variable cycle engines are in the range of 200KN (with potentially 2 on NGAD imagine the power)...The world is far behind on fighter engines...