Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 8: The Indian Air Force’s plans to upgrade its fleet of Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft have been put on hold for the time being due to the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
According to government sources, the deal for the 12 most advanced Su-30MKI aircraft, worth over Rs 20,000 crore, will be delayed slightly because stakeholders will now have to include more Made-in-India content in the planes, as per the government’s current policy of promoting Indian defence products over imports.
In partnership with the Russians and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Indian Air Force planned to update 85 of its planes to modern standards. Because of the current scenario, the plan has been placed on hold for the time being.
According to the sources, the goal was to equip the Su-30 aircraft with more powerful radars and the latest electronic warfare capabilities to make it more powerful and up to date. The Su-30 MKIs are the backbone of the Indian Air Force, with 272 of them ordered in various batches as a result of the IAF’s repeated orders for 30 to 40 of these planes whenever a shortfall of fighter jets in service was noted. The aircraft are delivered to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in semi- and fully-assembled kits from Russian manufacturers, and then assembled in the Nasik facility.
The prolonged confrontation between Russia and Ukraine has caused delays in the supply of fighter aircraft replacement parts.
According to sources, the spares situation is now manageable and is expected to remain so in the foreseeable future because India stocked up on them after the Uri surgical strikes and the continuing China dispute. The force has gone on an extreme rationing binge of its imported equipment because it is believed that the supply of these spares and other equipment would become a problem in the near future.
