electronic warfare
defensive systems in legacy and production flankers include a radar warning receiver, mostly variants of the spo-32 / l150 pastel digital receiver carried. The latest subtypes like the su-35bm/su-35-1 carry the knirti l175m khibiny m radio frequency surveillance (rfs = esm/rhaw) system, initially developed for the su-34 fullback. The khibiny m is believed to use a channelised receiver and most likely employs a wideband dual baseline interferometer in the forward sector, to permit passive targeting of kh-31p and r-27p/r-77p variants in defence suppression and air combat roles.
Newer flankers carry the podded wingtip mounted knirti sps-171 / l005s sorbtsiya-s mid/high band defensive jammer (ecm), this system being an evolution of a jammer developed for the backfire c. The sorbtsiya-s, unlike most western jamming pods, is designed to operate in pairs and uses forward and aft looking steerable wideband phased arrays to maximise jamming effect, a similar arrangement to the eurofighter typhoon ewsp package. It is worth observing that the sorbtsiya is clearly built to provide cross-eye jamming modes against monopulse threats, and the wideband mainlobe steering capability provided by the phased array permits best possible utilisation of available jamming power. A graded dielectric lens is employed. Russian contractors have been recently using digital rf memory (drfm) technology, which is of the same generation as the us idecm ewsp, and competing israeli systems.
The most recent defensive jamming equipment to be offered on flanker variants is the new knirti sap-518 wingtip jamming pod, displayed at maks 2009. Concurrently knirti displayed a high power support jamming pod, the sap-14, intended for centreline carriage on a large pylon. To date little has been disclosed on these pod designs, which are likely to retain the wideband phased array / lens antenna system first used on the sorbstiya.
knirti sap-518 ewsp pods at maks 2009 (© 2009, miroslav gyűrösi).
knirti sap-14 support jamming pod and centreline pylon on display at maks 2009 (© 2009, miroslav gyűrösi).
su-30mki flanker h model with knirti sap-14 and sap-518 jamming pods on display at maks 2009. The pods have already been flown on the su-34 fullback (© 2009, miroslav gyűrösi).