In the early nineties of the last century, the main fighter of the Chinese Air Force was the J-8, a second-generation aircraft that has been strengthened and improved.
At the same time, India and Vietnam have MiG-29s, Taiwan has IDF and Mirage 2000, South Korea is equipped with F-16s, and Japan even has F-15s, all of which are third-generation aircraft, making China face pressure from all sides.
In order to reverse this disadvantaged situation as soon as possible, China proposed to the Soviet Union in June 1990 a plan to purchase advanced fighter jets. The USSR at that time was already in a difficult situation, but still agreed to give China its own most advanced heavy fighter, the Su-27.
The Su-27 was considered the best of the third-generation fighters and was positioned as an all-weather air superiority heavy fighter, comparable to the F-15 at the time, which could be described as a top-of-the-line fighter.
However, it's expensive: the single-seat version of the Su-27SK costs $29.5 million, and the two-seat version of the Su-27UBK costs $30.5 million, plus **, spare parts and after-sales maintenance, and the package is up to $1.4 billion.
At that time, China's economic situation was not good, and it could only pay about $500 million, and the rest was offset in kind.
According to the contract, China bought 24 Su-27s, but in the end got 26, of which the extra 2 were the ** test machines sold by the Soviet Union in the name of second-hand mobile phones, which China was also happy to accept because of its cheapness.
Subsequently, in 1995, China purchased the second batch of 16 Su-27SKs and 6 Su-27UBKs, and in December 1999, it signed a contract with Russia again for the purchase of 28 Su-27UBK aircraft.
Overall, China imported a total of 76 Su-27s, at a total cost of more than $2.6 billion, which can be described as very expensive. The introduction of the Su-27 allowed the Chinese Air Force to regain confidence in the 90s of the last century and no longer be afraid of any challenges.
In 1996, AVIC obtained a production license for the Su-27, marking the rise of China's aviation industry again. The advent of J-10, J-11, J-15, J-20 and other fighters is inseparable from the imitation and improvement of the Su-27.
According to reports, since 2017, China has begun to phase out imported Su-27 fighters, and there are still about 30 in service, and it is expected that all will be eliminated within a year or two.
These retired fighters will be sealed in the aircraft cemetery in Pingdingshan, Henan, China, and perhaps one day they will be able to fly high again to serve their country.
In addition to imitation improvements to the Su-27, China also purchased the Su-30MKK, a multirole fighter from Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau, which helped reshape the strength of the Chinese Air Force while also saving Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau, which was on the verge of bankruptcy.
In order to ensure the long-term business, the Sukhoi Design Bureau redesigned the Su-30MKK multi-role fighter for Chinese use on the basis of the Su-27 and Su-30 based on the feedback of the Chinese Air Force.
Compared with the Su-27 equipped by the Chinese Air Force, the Su-30MKK has improved its attack capability on the ground and at sea, increased internal fuel tanks, installed air refueling equipment, and increased ground attack missile pylons, with a bomb load of 12 tons, which was the largest of all fighters at that time, and even surpassed the H-6
Medium bomber!In 1996, China offered to buy a two-seat multi-purpose model of the Su-27, and unexpectedly acquired the Su-30MKK, which is more advanced than the Su-27UB for Russia's own use.
China ordered a total of 76 Su-30MKK, all of which were delivered in 2004 and became the trump card of the Chinese Air Force.
The Su-30MKK has been in service with the Chinese Air Force for 20 years, but with aging and technology lagging, coupled with the fact that China already has a multi-role heavy fighter J-16, it is expected that the Su-30MKK will be gradually retired from active service in the next 3-5 years.
At the same time, Russian Su-30MK2 fighter-bombers are also attracting attention. In fact, the Su-30MK2 is a naval version of the Su-30MKK.
While China has purchased 76 Su-30MKK to equip the Air Force, it has also specifically purchased 24 Su-30MK2 to equip naval aviation. The equipment situation of the Navy is more difficult than that of the Air Force, and all the Su-27s bought in 90 years were handed over to the Air Force.
Until 2004, the only model available to naval aviation was the J-7A Flying Leopard, but the safety of this aircraft was not good, so naval aviation pilots were exposed to great risks when flying.
In 2004, the Navy introduced 24 Su-30MK2s, which finally gave naval aviation its own third-generation aircraft.
The Su-30MK2 was carefully painted navy light gray, and the nose radome was painted white to represent the navy, so it was also called the "bald eagle" by military fans, and all the equipment was delivered to the East China Sea Fleet's Sea and Air Eagle Regiment.
The Navy's Su-30MK2 has the ability to launch a variety of Russian-made missiles, which is superior to the Air Force's Su-30MKK in ground and sea attacks, but its air combat capabilities are slightly inferior.
At present, this batch of Su-30MK2 has become the main fighter-bomber of naval aviation together with the J-7A, but with the mass production of J-16, naval aviation is likely to usher in a full rearmament, and it is expected that the service life of the "Bald Sea Eagle" will not be too long.
Separately, China purchased 24 Su-35 heavy fighter jets from Russia in 2013 for about $100 million each, which began entering service with the PLA Air Force in 2018. China's arms purchase case has always attracted the attention and skepticism of military enthusiasts.
After all, China already has domestically produced advanced fighters such as the J-16, J-10C and J-20, so why should it buy expensive Su-35s?Here are some things that need to be explained. First of all, this arms purchase contract was signed in 2013.
At that time, the development of domestic advanced fighters had not yet been determined, and if they were not replenished, the previously purchased Su-27 and Su-30 fighters would soon expire in service. The problem is that the delivery of the Su-35 has been delayed until 2018, which has led to a significant reduction in its actual benefits.
In addition, as for why the Su-35 is expensive, I personally believe that there is a certain degree of Russian compensation factor. China created the J-27 after obtaining a license for the Su-27 production technology and production line, as well as Russia.
However, China did not follow Russia's opposition and continued to develop the unauthorized J-11B. This angered Russia, and when China sought to buy Su-33 fighter jets for the Liaoning aircraft carrier, Russia resolutely refused**, which was their revenge.
Therefore, when China expressed its desire to buy the Su-35, Russia was also reluctant to **, fearing that it would be another one-sided deal. In order to appease and compensate Russia, the contract ** was raised very high.
Although comparing the Su-35 with the J-16, J-10C, and J-20 of the Chinese Air Force may seem somewhat unremarkable, the Su-35 can use Russian-made ammunition.
When the Chinese Su-27 and Su-30 series fighters are decommissioned, all ammunition will be transferred to the Su-35 without waste, which can be counted as a unique advantage. Finally, there is another aspect to consider, and that is the Russian transport aircraft to the Chinese ** Il-76.
The Il-76 is a large dual-use strategic transport aircraft developed by the Soviet Union and one of the most successful heavy transport aircraft in the world. China purchased 14 Il-76 transport aircraft in 1991 and another 13 from Russia in 2010.
This shows the close cooperation between China and Russia in the trade of military equipment. In 2011, China purchased 30 Il-76 transport aircraft from Ukraine, including 23 transport aircraft, 4 AWACS aircraft and 3 tanker aircraft.
The Il-76 is the main large transport aircraft of the squadron, with a maximum take-off weight of 170 tons, a maximum load capacity of 40 tons, and a full load range of up to 5,000 kilometers. However, despite the fact that the number reaches 30 units, these large transport aircraft are clearly not enough for such a large country as China.
The service life of a transport aircraft is about 30 years, and the first batch of Il-76s introduced by China has been in service for more than 30 years, and the remaining aircraft are also more than 20 years old, so it is not only technologically backward, but also has certain safety risks.
Fortunately, China has now developed the Y-20 Kunpeng large transport aircraft, which has a carrying capacity of 66 tons and can carry heavy equipment such as Type 99 tanks. Once the number reaches a certain size, the Il-76 can be decommissioned in its entirety.