The Indian Air Force will be replenished with Russian fighters, The country's Ministry of Defense approved the purchase of an additional batch of Su-30MKI. Relevant information is distributed by the Indian press.
The Defense Department on Friday allocated funds for the purchase of weapons and equipment for nine items, including airplanes. As stated, will be purchased for the Indian Air Force 12 Su-30MKI fighters in the most “modern version”. According to one source in the Indian Ministry of Defense, it is planned to equip aircraft with various types of Indian-made weapons. The aircraft will be assembled at the Indian aircraft manufacturing corporation Hindustan Aeronautics Limited., which produces Russian fighters under license.
According to customer's requirement, plane for more than 60% will consist of locally produced components- said the source.
Last fall, Indian Air Force Commander Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhary said, that the new Su-30MKI fighters will receive a new version of the missile “BrahMos”. If fighters already in service are armed with a version with a range 290 kilometers, new ones will receive modernized, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 450 kilometers.
Today, according to the latest data, in service with the Indian Air Force 272 Su-30 MKI fighter, of which 50 supplied by Russia in a ready-made form, rest 222 were produced at Indian factories. As planned by the Indian Ministry of Defense, they all need to be modernized, within which the aircraft will receive various weapons, including foreign production. In particular, Indians adapt Israeli I-Derby-ER missiles to Russian fighters.
