Su-30MKI

On Indian market

Viktor Kladov – India is one of the most promising foreign markets for Russian civil aviation technology. We are open to cooperation and ready to develop projects in this field together with our Indian colleagues. I'd like to say a few words about what we can offer to our Indian partners.

With the ongoing China-India standoff on the northern border, India and Russia is expected to sign the much talked contract for purchase of MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI before the end of this year. Russian media informed quoting officials that work on the AK-203 and Igla-S is also moving at fast pace.

Amidst the ongoing stand-off with China, India, on Thursday, approved weapons systems and fighter jets worth INR 38,900 (over USD 5b). The proposals were cleared by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), apex procurement body of the Ministry of Defence, under the chairmanship of defence minister Rajnath Singh.

“Focused on indigenous design and development these approvals include acquisitions from Indian industry of Rs 31,130 crore,” government said in a statement.

As an aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, India has decided to achieve self-sufficiency in Defence through local manufacturing and by restricting the import of items. It is a fact that India, like other nations, is facing an economic slowdown, which will impact the availability of funds for defence purchases.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited recorded a turnover of over Rs. 21,100 crores (provisional and unaudited) for the financial year ended on March 31, 2020 (corresponding figure for the previous year was Rs. 19,705 crores). The Company has posted a revenue growth of around 7% during 2019-20 for the second year consecutively, post listing as compared to 3.8% during 2017-18.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is taking lead role in organizing the 11th biennial edition of DefExpo-2020 in coordination with MoD to be held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from February 5-9, 2020.   Besides providing huge logistic support, HAL will showcase its prowess in defence and aerospace centered on the theme ‘Digital Transfor

To counter emerging threats from China in Indian Ocean Region, India, on Monday, inducted recently resurrected 222 Squadron, the Tigersharks, with Sukhoi 30 MKI armed with air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) BrahMos at the Air Force Station Thanjavur. The Indo-Russian all weather BrahMos ALCM will allow the Su-30MKI to destroy any adversary naval ship at a distance of 290 km.

Despite Pakistan’s economic tatters and a Chinese economic slowdown their militaries are expanding and modernizing, unabated. While our relationship with both our nuclear neighbours is increasingly adversarial, there is an increasing collusivity between them. The latest being that China is going to give 236 of the latest 155mm Howitzers to Pakistan. On the domestic front, societal events and upheavals are forcing our so-called ‘Strategic’ friends and neighbours into a rethink mode to recalibrate their relationships with us.

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Air Force (IAF) and BrahMos, on Tuesday jointly successfully conducted two BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles tests today, one each from land and air platforms.

The Indian Air Force today conducted a successful test firing of BRAHMOS surface-to-surface cruise missile in combat mode at 0930 hrs at the Trek Islands in Car Nicobar Islands region off India’s Eastern coast. The successful launch comes a day after another successful test of the weapon in practice configuration by the IAF carried out in the same location. 

The twin successful launches were conducted by the IAF’s user unit in operational configuration to assess mission readiness and swift deployment of the tactical missile over long distance.  

Clearing doubts over the Indian Air Force’s support for under development Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Bhaduria on Thursday said that air force will give its full support to the project.

ACM Bhaduria, took over on September 30, was addressing annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8.

Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, has been successfully flight tested on 16 September 2019 off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials.

Recently, a news piece on NDTV's website suggests that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to procure a longer range non-Russia air-to-air missile for its Su-30 fleet. The report claims that post-Balakot strike India is planning to procure Israel made I-Derby ER, an air-to-air missile with 100 km range. This is 20 km more than the range of R-77, a Russian medium-range air-to-air missile which is part of Indian Su-30 MKI arsenal. 

Today, IAF successfully fired the BrahMos air version missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.  The launch from the aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the land target.

As the dust and din of last week's Indo-Pak crisis settle down, it is now time for India to reflect on the events of the last few weeks and review the state of its military power, the air force in particular.  The horrendous suicide bomb attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama on February 14th breached the limits of India’s patience with Pakistan, expecting it put an end to cross-border terrorism.

The first flight of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK1A will be in 2022 and commercial production would be in three to four years from then. The price bid for the 83 MK1A by the Indian Air Force has not yet been opened and the Defence PSU is looking forward to that contract. HAL is also looking at the export market, primarily to South Asia and African countries. “We have been participating in airshows and some of the countries expressed interest,” the Chairman of HAL, R.Madhavan told a press conference at Aero India.

At a time when Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing a rapid decrease in its fighter strength, the trusted old friend of India, Russia has once again came up to its rescue with the offer of 21 MiG-29, enough to populate one fighter squadron. The offer was made when last month when an IAF delegation was on a visit to Russia. 

India-Russia defence ties, a critical pillar of Indo-Russian strategic partnership, have come under scrutiny and some stress in recent times. Despite some irritants, the Indo-Russian partnership is time tested and rests on very strong strategic foundations. It is a relationship that is based on mutual trust, and a long history of strategic interdependency that has been strengthened by people to people interactions in social, cultural, scientific, economic, and technological domains.

Why not go for MiG-35?

By Rohit Srivastava

“Russian SU-30 and indigenously manufactured SU-30MKI are not the same. Hence, one to one comparison of cost may not be appropriate,” said Union Minister of State Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on January 2.

The recently concluded 2018 edition of the ‘Zhuhai Air Show’ in China proved to be an exemplary demonstration of China’s aerospace industry’s high-tech competence and maturity in design, development and manufacturing of aircraft, drones, weapons, and sensors. While the Indian media provided very scant or no coverage, China watchers across the world were deeply impressed with the airshow. The Zhuhai airshow is held every two years and is part air-show and part arms-expo for new weapon systems developed by defence contractors.