NEW DELHI – India’s aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) hasoffered to produce 40 more Sukhoi-30MKI fighters for the Indian Air Force(IAF) at a cost lower than that of the multi-role fighter Rafale.
The Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets will be equipped with the air-launchedversion of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. HAL is currently producingthe last batch of 23 Su-30 fighters, of the 222 it was mandated to buildat its facility in Nashik, Maharashtra.
“We will offer a very competitive price. Since 2010, we have beendelivering the Su-30 at INR 425 crore (approx $64 million) a piece. We candeliver another three squadrons at the same price,” T Suvarna Raju, HAL’schairman, told the Business Standard.
HAL has already absorbed the technology for building and supporting theSu-30. Now, the aim is to build those three new squadrons as quickly andcheaply as possible, Raju added.
Last December, the Indian defense ministry had assured HAL that productionat Nashik would continue to flow even after the conclusion of the Su-MKImanufacturing activities.
“HAL has world-class facilities and given the successful integrationof BrahMos on Su-30 MKI, 40 more aircraft will undergo such integration,”Subhash Bhamre, India’s minister of state for defense had said at apublic-private partnership summit in Nashik.
The work has been underway to integrate BrahMos supersonic cruise missileson 40 Su-30MKI jets at the Nashik facility, but HAL chairman Raju believesthat instead of upgrading older fighters, with a shorter residual lifespan,it would be better to build three more squadrons of Sukhois capableof carrying BrahMos missiles.
The IAF is currently facing a shortage of at least eight squadrons (18-20jets in a squadron) of fighter jets due to aging MiGs and delays in freshprocurement. The IAF desires the strength of some 42 combat squadronsby the year 2027-32 in order to meet the contingencies of a two-front warwith China and Pakistan.
“HAL’s proposal to assemble 40 additional BrahMos-A capable Su-30MKIs,instead of upgrading 40 life limited in-service aircraft, makes eminentsense,” Vijainder K Thakur, an IAF veteran and military analyst, said.
Thakur has long been advocating that the Su-30MKI is a perfect fit for theIAF doctrine, which advocates the use of fighter aircraft that can performany role.
tags: India