Same Soviet DNA, different fighters: How India's Su-30MKI compares with China's J-16

India's Su-30MKI and China's J-16 may fly under different flags today, but both trace their origins to the same Soviet-era Flanker family. Descended from the legendary Su-27, the two heavyweight fighters have evolved into the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), reflecting two distinct approaches to modern aerial warfare.India transformed the Su-30MKI into a highly agile multirole fighter by integrating Russian, Israeli, French and indigenous technologies. China, meanwhile, developed the J-16 into a modern strike fighter equipped with indigenous radar, electronic warfare systems and long-range weapons.Although they share the same Flanker DNA, decades of upgrades have turned them into fundamentally different combat aircraft.As military competition between Asia's two largest powers intensifies and both countries continue to modernise their air forces, comparisons between the two fighters have become increasingly relevant.