The purchase of
additional Sukhoi-30 MKIs has arisen as the Indian Air Force is short of
fighters, with squadrons numbering in the early 30s rather than the allotted
40. According to Military Leaks, a dozen
fighters will provide two-thirds of a much-needed squadron. The IAF only has
two squadrons of the French-made Dassault Rafale, but it still operates older
aircraft, such as the upgraded MiG-21 Bison.
The Sukhoi
Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a twinjet multirole air
superiority fighter built for the IAF by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL). It is a heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter variant of the Sukhoi
Su-30.
The development
of the variant began in 2000 when India signed a contract with Russia to
manufacture 140 Su-30 fighter jets.
The first
Su-30MKI variant made in Russia was accepted by the IAF in 2002, and the first
Su-30MKI assembled in India entered service with the IAF in 2004.
As of January
2020, the IAF had nearly 260 Su-30MKIs in its inventory. According to open
source information, the Air Force lost 11 aircraft between 30 April 2009 and 8
August 2019.
The Su-30MKI is
expected to serve as the backbone of the IAF's fighter fleet until at least
2020.
The aircraft is designed specifically for Indian requirements and incorporates
Indian systems, avionics, and French and Israeli subsystems.
Its capabilities
are comparable to those of the Sukhoi Su-35, with which it shares many features
and components.