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
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![France and UK to resume and upgrade Storm Shadow/SCALP production]()
France and UK to resume and upgrade Storm Shadow/SCALP production
The new ‘Entente Industrielle’ will work on a range of other projects to boost the UK economy and defence industry, including joint development on new high-tech frequency weapons and extended range air-to-air missiles.
-
![France pushes for 80% workshare as FCAS programme nears critical development stage]()
France pushes for 80% workshare as FCAS programme nears critical development stage
Tensions on the programme have long simmered, with Airbus and Dassault recently clashing over workshare in June ahead of the Paris Air Show. The sixth-generation fighter programme is due to replace Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon jets beginning in 2040.
-
![US Air Force conducts climate testing with the T-7A Red Hawk]()
US Air Force conducts climate testing with the T-7A Red Hawk
The trainer aircraft recently completed the second round of extreme weather trials after enduring icy, windy and sunny conditions.
