IAF Super Sukhoi Upgrade: Astra Microwave Products has told investors that its part of the Virupaksha AESA radar project is moving ahead on time. The company said the Active Antenna Array Unit, which is one of the hardest parts of the system, should be ready in the next few months. It also said it hopes the full radar can be finished by “by year-end”. This update came during the company’s latest earnings call, where management said the work is still on track even though the technology is very complex.
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Why Virupaksha for the Su-30MKI
The Virupaksha radar is being built by DRDO’s Electronics and Radar Development Establishment in Bengaluru. It is meant to replace the older Russian-made N011M Bars radar that is now used on the Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKI fleet. This radar is a big part of the wider “Super Sukhoi” upgrade plan.
That upgrade is aimed at taking the Su-30MKI to a 4.5-generation level and is being planned for the first batch of 84 aircraft. Earlier reports have placed the total cost of this phase at around ₹63,000 crore, with the jets expected to get new AESA radars, better avionics, longer-range weapons and other modern systems.
Astra’s role in the Radar System
Astra’s role is centered on the radar’s Active Antenna Array Unit. This unit is often called the heart of the system because it holds about 2,400 Gallium Nitride, or GaN, transmit and receive modules. GaN helps give better power, better heat handling, and stronger resistance to jamming than older Gallium Arsenide systems. It also keeps the array lighter, which is important when a radar has to be fitted into an existing fighter jet. Once the work is done, the Virupaksha radar is expected to spot normal fighter-sized targets at about 300-400 km and stealthier targets at more than 200 km. That would be a major jump over the current sensor setup on the Su-30MKI.
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Orders and Testing
The radar work is also helping Astra Microwave win more defence business. On July 31, 2026, the company got a domestic order from HAL worth ₹2,205.23 crore, including GST, for 122 Advanced Array Assembly Units and 121 Interface Frames for the Uttam radar programme.
The company’s latest research note also said its orderbook was strong and that Virupaksha was one of the programmes supporting future growth. Management expects the radar work to move from development into testing next, then to flight trials. Only after that will series production begin, first for the 84 Su-30MKI aircraft in the Super Sukhoi plan.
