Su-30MKI Fighter Fleet's Life To Be Extended By 20 Years; Jets To Get Advanced Weapons

Amit the dual threat from China and Pakistan and now with the drones targetting ships in the Arabian Sea, the Indian Air Force is working to enhance its capabilities. The IAF is now working to extend the service life of its Russian-origin combat aircraft Sukhoi-30 MKI by over 20 years. India inducted the Sukhoi-30 MKI about two decades ago. The Indian Air Force has around 272 jets operating in its fleet and Su-30 MKI are going to be the mainstay of the force for at least the next 15-20 years.

Indian Air Force is also working to equip the combat aircraft with modern technologies including indigenous advanced radars, avionics and weapon systems. It is working to upgrade its fleet of Sukohi-30 MKI fighters with indigenous weapon systems and radar named Virupaaksha.

"Virupaaksha radar is being developed indigenously, keeping in view the requirements of IAF in different sectors and would be the most advanced one among all the Sukohi-30 variants being flown around the globe," reported ANI citing defence sources.

The Indian Air Force has been working on a mission mode to indigenize the equipment in its inventory and looking to buy equipment from Indian firms worth over Rs three lakh crore in the near future. The Su-30MKI is a multi-role air dominance fighter that can carry a versatile array of weapons including the Astra Mk-1 long-range air-to-air missile, Brahmos Air Launched missile, and an array of bombs, among others. 

The Air Force has already flight-tested the Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, from Sukhoi-20 MKI. The IAF also successfully test-fired Rudram Anti-Radiation Missile from Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. The IAF has already got 36 Rafale fighter jets in its fleet but that remains a meager number given the threats that India faces. Indian Air Force is also in the process to acquire 97 Tejas light combat jets to boost its defence capabilities amid the looming retirement of MiG-21, MiG-23 fleet.