Russia - France jointly 'operate' on India's Su-30MKI

To increase the combat capability of the Su-30MKI fighter, India has invited both Russia and France to jointly implement this upgrade package.

The Print website quoted a source from the Indian Ministry of Defense as saying that France has been selected to carry out a special upgrade package for the advanced Su-30MKI fighter jet produced by Russia.

Sources said that the Indian Air Force has successfully negotiated with French defense manufacturer to upgrade the domestic GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri engine to be ready to equip the Su-30MKI and Tejas fighter jets developed by the country.

This is clearly quite surprising information because to upgrade this Russian-made fighter jet line, along with France, a number of Russian defense contractors are also preparing to join hands to implement this upgrade package with India.

Su-30MKI fighter flying with Typhoon.

According to Mr. Tsuvarna Raju, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Su-30MKI will be upgraded almost completely from sensors to radars. This upgrade package will cost about 6 billion USD.

Chairman Tsuvarna Raju said: "We will start the Su-30MKI upgrade program by applying new electronic systems and weapons to make the squadron stronger." Although not revealing specifics, according to this director, the upgrade package will make the Su-30MKI stronger when it can carry Brahmos missiles, R-77 missiles...

"When it comes to technology transfer, Russia offers everything without hesitation. India will continue to work with the Russian defense industry to enhance the upgrade of the Su-30MKI fleet to make it more powerful," a senior Indian defense official said.

The joint implementation of the Su-30MKI upgrade package with Russia and France is considered unprecedented in India. However, while Moscow upgraded many items, France only completed the stage of completing the new engine to replace the current engine line on the Su-30MKI.

The Print newspaper said that this move alone shows that Russia is no longer the number 1 choice in strengthening India's military power.

According to this source, the current fighter force of the Indian Air Force is not only lacking but also outdated, consisting mainly of old and unsynchronized aircraft, such as the MiG-21, MiG-29, French Mirage or British Jaguar and a few domestically produced Tejas. India's most powerful fighter is the Su-30MKI.

The Indian Air Force is gradually phasing out its outdated Russian aircraft, but has not been able to replace them with new fighter aircraft. In 2015, before the Indian Parliament's Defense Committee, an air force representative reported that by 2022, India would have only 25 fighter squadrons.

With such numbers, the Indian Air Force is only on par with Pakistan and far behind China.

According to Baodatviet