The IAF currently operates 259 Sukhois most of which were license-produced by HAL under a deal with Russia worth over $12 billion.
India has finalised its plan to boost its existing Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets to ensure they are capable of air combat for another three decades, according to Times of India.
According to the report, the Ministry of Defence has prepared a “draft note” for approval by the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The proposal outlines a comprehensive upgrade for the initial batch of 84 Sukhoi jets, with a total estimated cost of around ₹63,000 crore. This includes the entire design and development phase, sources told TOI.
According to the report, these upgraded ‘Super’ Sukhois will be close to the fifth-generation fighters in terms of capabilities, with the exception of stealth technology.
The upgraded version will incorporate manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability, allowing ‘Super’ Sukhois to operate in conjunction with advanced autonomous drones using artificial intelligence and data links. This will increase their mission effectiveness. The Indian Air Force (IAF) aims to keep these upgraded Sukhois in service until 2055, according to the TOI report.
The Sukhoi is important to IAF since currently it has only 30 fighting squadrons with 16 to 18 jets in each. The TOI report stated that its authorised” strength is 42 to combat both China and Pakistan. All the 84 twin-engined Sukhois will be upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 15 years.
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Following the CCS sanction, seven years will be taken for development and flight testing, followed by the gradual upgrade and induction of the jets in batches.
The IAF currently operates 259 Sukhois. Most of these are license-produced by HAL under a deal with Russia worth over $12 billion. These aircraft form the backbone of the IAF’s combat fleet. An additional order for 12 new Sukhois and associated equipment, costing around ₹11,500 crore, has been placed to replace those lost in accidents over the years, stated the TOI report.
Going Forward
Sources told TOI that in the next 15 years, India will have developed its own fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The current upgrade project will equip the Sukhois with indigenous “Virupaksha” advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. “This enhanced capability will allow the Sukhois to utilize longer-range weapons such as the Astra-3 air-to-air missile, which boasts a beyond-visual-range of 350 km,” sources told TOI.
Currently, 40 Sukhoi fighters have already been modified to carry the air-to-ground BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The BrahMos missile’s range has been extended from 290 km to 450 km, and a variant with an 800 km range is also under development, according to the TOI report.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
