India’s Su-30MKI upgrade is hampered by sanctions against Russia
India’s upgrade of a portion of its Su-30 fleet is on hold because of Russian actions in Ukraine. (Gordon Arthur)
India’s armed forces are heavily reliant on Russia for equipment, but the latter’s invasion of Ukraine is having knock-on effects for India’s Su-30 fighters.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been forced to defer an upgrade of a large number of its Russian-origin Su-30MKI multirole fighters to the ‘Super Sukhoi’ standard due to sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Senior industry officials said the proposed retrofit of 85 of around 260 licence-built Su-30MKIs had included replacing the fighter’s digital multimode dual-frequency NIIP N011M Bars radar with an AESA one.
The work was to have been jointly executed by India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation.
Announced by former ACM R.K.S Bhaduria in 2019, the upgrade also involved fitting
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Air Warfare
-
![NHI’s NH90: Europe’s multirole helicopter strives to maintain relevance (updated 2026)]()
NHI’s NH90: Europe’s multirole helicopter strives to maintain relevance (updated 2026)
Developed in response to NATO’s needs, NHIndustries’ NH90 remains a cornerstone of European and Middle Eastern fleets – with upgrades planned to extend and improve the capabilities of the versatile and capable platform.
-
![April Drone Digest: Why militaries are rethinking high-end drones]()
April Drone Digest: Why militaries are rethinking high-end drones
From France to Romania, there has been a clear shift away from expensive, vulnerable MALE UAVs in April towards lower-cost, expendable systems. Hard lessons from Ukraine and Iran have driven this shift.
-
![Bundeswehr launches loitering munition spending spree with $2.16 billion unassigned]()
Bundeswehr launches loitering munition spending spree with $2.16 billion unassigned
After months of delays, Rheinmetall has inked a €300 million deal with Germany for its FV-014 drone this week as part of a wider framework contract worth €2.4 billion for loitering munition procurement. Shephard looks at how the as-yet-unawarded funds could be spent.
