Indian Air Force to Upgrade Su-30MKI

Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force (IAF) stated that the IAF wants to upgrade its SU-30MKIs with the help of Russia to make the aircraft more lethal. The Su-30MKI will need new avionics and weapons, he said. Russia has already helped India upgrade MiG-21, MiG-27 and MiG-29 fighters. The Su-30MKI is a twin-engine, twin-seat, multirole fighter that can be operated as an interceptor, bomber and trainer. The IAF fleet of Su-30MKIs currently consists of around 260 aircraft. As of December 2018, HAL has manufactured 202 Su-30MKI aircraft in India. The first 50 aircraft were built in Russia and delivered to India in fly-away condition. The IAF is expected to deploy 272 Su-30MKI aircraft by 2021 grouped into 14 squadrons.