The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the indigenous upgrade of the Su-30 MKI Aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
One of the earlier interactions with the media by the Air Chief indicated plans to upgrade 84 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets for a cost of slightly more than Rs 60,000 crore. HAL will handle the upgrades in collaboration with the Indian Air Force and other partners.
There are reports in the public domain that the first batch of 100 SU-30s will undergo upgrades, including enhancements to their electronic warfare suite, avionics, and radar systems.
The start of the fleet’s modernization will come after the expected four to five-year duration of the design and development phase. In addition to integrating new weapons and sensors, the Su-30MKI fleet has been undergoing a continuous “spiral upgrade” for more than a decade.
Air-to-air missiles BrahMos and Astra have been added to the Su-30MKI’s weaponry. It is anticipated that further integration will involve Rudarm-1 new generation anti-radiation missiles (NGARMs), Rudram-2, Rudram-3, and Astra-2. As a stand-off weapon, Rudram missiles are designed to neutralize various enemy surveillance, communication, and radar targets on the ground.
By hitting a radiating target off the coast of Odisha on October 9, 2020, the Rudram-1 NGARM successfully completed its flight test. DRDO plans to develop air-to-ground missiles Rudram-2 (350 km range) and Rudram-3 (550 km range) in the future.
During Aero India 2023, a schematic for an electronic warfare suite was presented that hinted at ongoing efforts to replace the current Russian SAP-51 pods aboard IAF’s Su-30 MKI aircraft.
