The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited / HAL (India’s state-owned aerospace and defense company) recently signed a Rs 13,500 crore (US$1.5 Billion) contract for the procurement of 12 Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft along with associated equipment.
In a major boost to the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat,’ India’s self-reliance initiative, the aircraft would have an indigenous content of 62.6 percent. This percentage has been enhanced due to the indigenization of many components.
The announcement on December 12 came close on the heels of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent visit to Moscow, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials to strengthen defense ties between the two countries further.
These aircraft would be manufactured at the Nasik division of HAL. The supply of these aircraft would enhance the operational capability of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and strengthen the country’s defense preparedness, the MoD Press release said.
The IAF operates a fleet of 260 Su-30s, and the 12 additional fighters have been contracted to make up for planes lost in accidents. The additional Su-30MKIs will incorporate some Super Sukhoi features. The sanctioned strength of the Su-30 fleet is 272 aircraft.
HAL Nashik Division
HAL is placed 41st in the World’s top defense firm rankings and beats top defense companies like Rafael and Hyundai. HAL has also obtained several multimillion-dollar contracts from leading international aerospace firms such as Airbus, Boeing, and Honeywell to manufacture aircraft spare parts and engines.
In October 2024, HAL was given Maharatna status, giving the company more operational and financial autonomy.
The aircraft manufacturing division at Nashik was set up in 1964, with the support of the Soviet Union, as part of the MiG Complex. The other two divisions are Koraput, Orissa, for aero-engines, and Hyderabad, for Avionics. Nashik is the second largest HAL division after Bengaluru. The plant is located at Ozar, 20 km northeast of the Nashik city center. IAF’s No. 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) is co-located. The BRD overhauls various MiG aircraft variants.
The Nasik Division built the MiG 21s, MiG-27s, and Su-30 MKI and upgraded the MiG-21 ‘Bison.’ It carries out repairs and overhauls of many Russian fighter aircraft. It now has a LCA Tejas Mk1A production line as well.
Additional Aero-engines Contract
In September, the MoD signed a Rs 26,000-crore (US$3.05 Billion) contract with HAL for 240 AL-31FP aero-engines for the IAF’s Su-30 fleet. HAL will supply 30 engines annually from the Koraput factory. These deliveries are expected to be completed in eight years. Additional aero-engines are required because they have much lower service life than the airframe, and a few are lost due to failures as well.
The engines are being built from the raw material stage with technology transfer from Russia, and only some spares, forgings, and castings are expected to be imported. By the time the deliveries are completed, the engines will have an indigenous content of up to 63 percent.
Su-30 MKI
The India-specific variant of the Russian Su-30, the Su-30MKI, was inducted into the IAF in 2002. The twin-engine, air-superiority, multi-role, heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter aircraft has a take-off weight of 38,800 kilograms and a payload capacity of over 8 tons, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and anti-ship missiles. The aircraft can carry 10 × Astra Mk1 class missiles. Two Lyulka-Saturn AL-31FP turbofan engines power it.
The current forward-facing NIIP N011M Bars (Panther) is a powerful digital multi-mode dual frequency band integrated passive electronically scanned array radar. N011M has a 400 km search range and a maximum 200 km tracking range. OLS-30 laser-optical infrared search and track (IRST) includes a day and night FLIR capability and is used in conjunction with the helmet-mounted sighting system. It has a range of 30 km.
The Su-30MKI has a range of 3,000 km with internal fuel, which ensures a 3.75-hour combat mission. Also, it has an in-flight refueling (IFR) probe that retracts. The air refueling system increases the flight duration by up to 10 hours with a combat radius of 3,000 km. Su-30MKIs can also use the Cobham 754 buddy refueling pods.
The aircraft features state-of-the-art avionics developed by Russia, India, and Israel for display, navigation, targeting, and electronic warfare. France and South Africa provided other avionics. It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-35, which shares many features and components. Russia’s Defence Ministry was impressed with the type’s performance envelope and ordered 30 Su-30SMs, a localized Su-30MKI, for the Russian Air Force.
As many as 222 aircraft have been produced under license at HAL Nashik since 2004. Indigenization was progressively increased with Indian content. HAL produced aircraft from scratch from 2013 onwards. An estimated 920 AL-31FP turbofans were manufactured at HAL’s Koraput Division. The Su-30MKI will be the backbone of the IAF’s fighter fleet for some years to come.
Su-30MKI Upgrade
The initial plans, around 2010, were to upgrade the Su-30 MKI to “Super Sukhoi” standards with Russians. After India’s Indigenous capabilities increased, it was decided to do it in-house. The jets got the first phase Super Sukhoi upgrade with the addition of the Astra (missile), a 110 km range BVR missile more capable than the R-77.
In September 2019, the Astra underwent multiple user trials by IAF to validate its lethality for the Su-30MKI. India also started to replace the Russian-made fly-by-wire system with an Indian-made Flight Control System and even adopted a new digital RWR (Radar Warning Receiver).
In February 2017, it was reported that the planes would be upgraded with AL-41F turbofan engines, the same as the ones on the Sukhoi Su-35. However, it has now been decided to retain the existing engines. On September 2, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the purchase of 240 AL-31FP engines for Rs 26,000 crore (US$3.05 billion).
The engines will be manufactured in HAL’s Engine Division Koraput and will have an indigenous content of 54 percent. The contract was signed officially on September 9, 2024. The first engine was delivered on October 1, and all the engines will be delivered within 8 years at a production rate of 30 units per year.
In early 2024, the government approved the Rs 65,000 crore (US$7.6 Billion) upgrade for 84 Su-30MKIs to be done indigenously by HAL. The project is divided into two phases, focusing initially on installing new avionics and radars, followed by enhancements to the flight control systems.
Aircraft will get new electronic warfare suites, weapon control systems, avionics, and new weapons. The new Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) active electronically scanned array (AESA) “Virupaakhsha” radar (an enhanced variant of Uttam AESA Radar) will increase the detection range by 1.5 to 1.7 times, making the jets capable of operating long-range weapons like Astra Mk III.
Electronic Warfare capabilities of Sukhoi-30MKI would be enhanced by indigenous DARE’s High Band Jammer Pod (HBT), Dhruti Radar Warning System, and a Dual Colour Missile Approach Warning System. Bharat Electronics and HAL are co-developing a long-range dual-band IRST for Su-30MKI. This will replace the current OLS-30.
In May 2024, DRDO’s Combat Aircraft Systems Development & Integration Centre (CASDIC) released an Expression of Interest (EOI) to collaborate with a Development-cum-Production Partner (DccP) to develop an Indigenous Electronic Warfare suite.
The allocated timeframe for Design and Development (D&D) is 32 months. On December 3, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the Electronic Warfare Suite (EWS) procurement, compromising External Airborne Self Protection Jammer pods, Next Generation Radar Warning Receiver, and associated equipment.
IIT Bombay has been developing Artificial Intelligence-based engine and asset maintenance solutions for spares, inventory, and combat potential optimization. This will replace the current electronic maintenance management system. The jets will also be modified to fire BrahMos-ER missiles. The total project will take 15 years, which includes seven years of development and flight testing and the remaining for the upgrade and induction of 84 jets.
As of November 2024, the financial aspects of the upgrade program are being assessed. This will be followed by CCS clearance (expected early 2025) and initiation of the upgrade process. Sukhoi will also be involved in the project to upgrade the fly-by-wire system.
The upgrade is to be carried out by HAL with the support of DRDO and several private companies. Overall, 51 systems are to be upgraded, including 30 by HAL, 13 by DRDO, and 8 by private sector companies. The Indian indigenous content shall be increased gradually to 78 percent. The upgrade allows the fighter to remain in service for another 30 years.
Indigenisation Thrust
The Indian government’s policy of boosting defense production as part of the drive towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat is increasingly reflected in the rising orders to the local defense equipment manufacturing companies. It underlines a positive outlook for the sector ahead.
Last year, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by HAL to produce the advanced GE 414 aero-engines for LCA Mk2 with USA’s General Electric Company.
Historically, India has been a major importer of foreign military hardware, with around 65-70 percent of imported defense equipment. Driven by the Modi government’s self-reliance push, India’s defense production has shot up to an unprecedented Rs 1.27 lakh crore (US$15 Billion) in FY 2023-24, an impressive increase of approximately 174 percent from Rs 46,429 crore (US$ 5.4 Billion) in 2014-15.
The landscape is changing rapidly. There are now more than 5,000 positive indigenization list items, which include major platforms such as ships, helicopters, vehicles, radars, and strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs), systems, sub-systems, assemblies, sub-assemblies, spares, components, and raw materials, that cannot be imported.
Other Su-30 Related Indigenisation
In 2004, India reportedly signed a deal with Russia to domestically produce the Novator K-100 missile, designed to shoot down airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) and C4ISTAR aircraft, for the Su-30MKI. However, the project did not proceed.
In 2008, Samtel-HAL Display Systems (SHDS), a joint venture between Samtel Display Systems and HAL, won a contract to develop and manufacture multi-function avionics displays for the MKI. A helmet-mounted display, Topsight-I, based on technology from Thales and developed by SHDS, will be integrated into the Su-30MKI in the next upgrade.
The BrahMos air-to-ground missile (AGM) has been integrated into the Su-30MKI, allowing it to attack ground targets from stand-off ranges of around 300 km. The first air launch from a Su-30MKI was successfully carried out on 22 November 2017. Although not initially designed to carry nuclear or strategic weapons, India has considered integrating an air-launched version of the nuclear-capable Nirbhay.
Indian Private Sector Becoming Big In Aerospace
The Tata consortium is building 40 EADS CASA C-295 MW aircraft and significant numbers of its sub-systems in India at a plant in Baroda, Gujarat. Tata is making the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter fuselage and aero-structures for Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
All C-130Js delivered to customers worldwide have major aero-structure components from India, which is producing 24 C-130 empennages annually. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, also relies on Hyderabad-based TASL as the manufacturing base for its global supply of cabins for the S-92 helicopter.
Tata Group is working with GE to manufacture CFM International LEAP engine components in India. Lockheed Martin selected TASL to produce F-16 wings in India.
Many private companies are making defense electronics, large aero-components, advanced technology components, and sub-systems. Dynamatic Technologies makes assemblies of vertical fins for Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters. They also supply aero-structures to Airbus for its A320 family of aircraft and the wide-body 330 aircraft.
Hyderabad’s VEM Technologies manufactures center fuselage for LCA Tejas. The Adani group is making Hermes UAVs in India. There are over 100 drone start-ups. Many Indian MSMEs and start-ups are entering defense component production.
To Summarise
Su-30 MKI upgrade is a very important project for India. It involves the largest fighter fleet of the IAF and will greatly enhance its combat capability and see it through for a few more decades.
Su-30 MKI has scored well in most air combat exercises against Western fighters such as F-15C and Eurofighter Typhoon.
India is already making many aerostructures and systems of Western aircraft for global customers. There have been reports that negotiations are going on between HAL and Russia for exporting Indian-produced Russia-supported Su-30MKIs to global customers.
Also, Russia needs to circumvent American economic sanctions. More Russian companies are wanting to set up production facilities in India.
India still depends on significant (40 percent) import content for the Su-30 MKI production and upgrade. Significant components of aero-engine will continue to be imported for some time.
Also, India does not make ejection seats. Technology transfers in the real sense are still not taking place. But India is on the right track. India is gradually becoming independent on radars and weapons. Import substitution is being pushed hard.
- Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired) is an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and former Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. He has been decorated with gallantry and distinguished service medals while serving in the IAF for 40 years.
- He tweets @Chopsyturvey
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
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