The defence ministry is set to ink an estimated ₹21,000 crore deal to acquire jet engines for its Su 30MKI fighter fleet.
Ministry of Defence To Sign Rs 21000 Cr Deal For 230 Sukhoi Engines
The defence ministry is set to ink an estimated ₹21,000 crore deal to acquire jet engines for its Su 30MKI fighter fleet. The engines will be made in India from the raw material stage by HAL and will replace older engines that are coming to the end of their service life. The order for about 230 engines will be placed in the coming days, with deliveries to take place over the next few years, said people familiar with the matter.. The total requirement of the AL 31 FP engines is close to 950.
The AL-31FP engines are crucial for the Su-30MKI, a twin-engine fighter jet that forms the backbone of the IAF. The total requirement for these engines is approximately 950 to maintain the operational readiness of the entire fleet. The engines will be produced by HAL, which has established a robust vendor and supplier network over the years. A significant portion of the deal’s value will benefit this local ecosystem, promoting indigenization in defence manufacturing.
In addition to the engine procurement, there are plans to upgrade around 100 Su-30MKI jets with new avionics, radars, and electronic warfare systems. This upgrade initiative is projected to exceed ₹60,000 crore and will be conducted entirely within India, with HAL leading the project in collaboration with the IAF and various partners.
Through this modification process, the IAF hopes to achieve an astounding 78% indigenization of the fighter aircraft. This will effectively turn the Su-30MKI from a Russian platform into an aircraft that is mostly constructed and maintained in India. HAL has been tasked by the IAF with investigating ways to prolong the lifespan of the Su-30MKI fleet in order to meet the operational target by 2050. At present, the service life of a single Su-30MKI is around 6,000 flight hours, which translates to approximately 30–40 years of operation.
The IAF wants to increase this by 1,500 hours, which could give each aircraft an extra 10 to 15 years of service. Working with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) to create domestic modifications for the AL-31F engine that drives the Su-30MKI is a crucial component of this life extension plan.
This is especially important as HAL currently produces a sizable 87.7% of the engine’s parts in India. These engines’ operating life will be prolonged by domestic upgrades, which will additionally. The final two Su-30MKI units built under a prior order in 2021 were just delivered to the IAF. The go-ahead was then given for HAL to produce 12 more Su-30MKIs.
