The Russian Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker-C and the US General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon are the two most popular jet fighters in the world
The Su-30 is currently in service in Russia, China, Venezuela, Algeria, Uganda, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam
Meanwhile the F-16 is even more popular, in the US Air Force and 25 other countries
Both Su-30 and F-16 are 4th generation fighters, not the latest or most advanced like 5th generation fighters
It should be known that the combat value is not only in the aircraft itself but also depends on electronic equipment
and weapons, so the 5th generation fighter is not necessarily superior to the fourth generation in all aspects
On the other hand, experts say that only 10 years from now
stealth capabilities like today will no longer be effective when electronic technology has new advances
In other words, decades from now, the improved 4th generation fighters will still be rivals of the 5th generation, not until retirement
The Su-30 and F-16 are the two most commonly used fighters today, each with many different versions
They have different features, equipment and purposes, depending on its battlefield mission
The Su-30 is a heavy, twin-engine fighter, with a maximum take-off weight of 35 tons
Meanwhile, the F-16 is a light fighter, single-engine, with a maximum take-off weight of about 20 tons
The success of the F-4 Phantom II, a third-generation multirole fighter, through experience in the Middle East battlefield
was a lesson for the Sukhoi company in the Soviet Union to design the Su-27 in 1985
Su- 30 with many different versions, is an improvement and modification on the basis of Su-27
The F-16 was originally intended as a day fighter, primarily with the air-to-air mission, intercepting enemy aircraft and protecting airspace
In later versions, the F-16 was developed into an all-weather multirole fighter
Except for a few versions, the F-16 is a single-seat fighter, while the Su-30 is a two-seat multirole fighter
Both the F-16 and Su-30 have a top speed of about Mach 1.2 at sea level
and Mach 2 at altitude, a ceiling of 50,000 feet, and a rate of climb of 45,000 ft/min
But the F-16 has a range of less than 400 miles without extra fuel tanks or aerial refueling
The Su-30 has more than twice the range
Because the F-4 Phantom was so expensive, after the Vietnam War, the US Air Force wanted a light fighter suitable for air combat and less expensive to operate
The F-16 is only half the price of the Su-30 and consumes less fuel
But price is a very complex matter, and there is no standard by which to compare
A new aircraft will include a significant cost of research and development, unlike an aircraft that has entered the mass production line
Then there are equipment and weapons, accessories, maintenance costs, pilot training and many other needs
Approved for the project in 1976 and in mass production since 1980, the F-16 was the first fighter to use a control system called "fly by wire"
The new approach increases the aircraft's maneuverability
With “fly by wire”, the computer will appropriately adjust all conditions of the aircraft according to the pilot
and stabilize to the new condition without additional intervention
With the advancement of missiles and electronic control systems, aerial combat can take place far beyond sight
There was a time when it was thought that some of the fighter's flexibility could be sacrificed through out-of-sight air combat
But in fourth-generation fighters, maneuverability is still considered an essential element of air combat in or out of sight
The Sukhoi Su-30 is a large and heavy fighter, but has great maneuverability thanks to the "thrust vectoring" system, first applied to the Su-27 fighters
The exhaust nozzles of the two engines protrude 32 degrees horizontally, and can be rotated up or down 15 degrees
This system, along with the main wing, canards, tail, and rudder, added efficiency to its maneuverability
To date, the F-16 has ceased production for the US Air Force but continues to produce for export needs
A total of more than 4,600 units were produced
As for the Su-30, more than 630 units have been produced to date and continue with many versions suitable for different missions
The Su-30 is also an important Russian arms export, and Sukhoi also cooperates with India to produce the Su-30 MKI version
As a heavy fighter, the Su-30 carries more munitions than the F-16, including air-to-air, air-to-ground missiles
conventional or guided bombs and a 30 mm GSh-30-1 autocannon with 150 rounds