Indian Su-30MKI: News

Werewolf wrote:With the recent RAF and IAF wargames between Eurofighters and Su-30MKI's and as a result funny comments and excuses on the internet i found this mocking pic about that attitude.

Ha! That aint Indian flag btw its Irish.

max steel wrote:

Werewolf wrote:With the recent RAF and IAF wargames between Eurofighters and Su-30MKI's and as a result funny comments and excuses on the internet i found this mocking pic about that attitude.

Ha! That aint Indian flag btw its Italian.

Actually that's the flag the Indian Air Force uses as a military aircraft insignia, it's specifically called a 'fin flash':

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Air_Force

...It looks more like the Irish flag, because instead of of the color red that the Italians use, the Irish use the color orange, plus Italy is in NATO and they wouldn't be allowed to own Su-30MKI's.

I got the latest Air International which has article on ex Indra Dhanush , Let me know if any one is interested I can send on PM

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/HAL-Technician-Held-for-Stealing-Sukhoi-Blades/2015/03/17/article2717400.ece

KORAPUT: A senior technician of Sukhoi division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Arun Kumar Pradhan, was arrested on Sunday on charges of stealing parts of the fighter aircraft, Sukhoi, from the factory premises at Sunabeda in Koraput district. He was produced in SDJM Court which remanded him in judicial custody.

Sources said HAL security personnel at the main gate caught Pradhan in possession of expensive blades of the aero engine of Sukhoi. Pradhan was later handed over to Sunabeda police.

During investigation, police seized over 198 Sukhoi aero engine blades and other parts from Pradhan’s residence at Semiliguda. During interrogation, police came to know that Pradhan, who has a workshop at Semiliguda, used to supply the blades to a private company.

Police find 198 jet engine blades and part for Su-30MKI engines. Who knows, how many blades and parts are build in somewhere, which police will never find and how many of those blades and parts are replaced with sh*tty parts from those private companies, which doesn't produce jet engines? Indian AF have a big luck, that not much more of their Su-30MKI crash, considering the corruption and incompetence in HAL. And than those clowns say Russia produce bad quality engines. After this finding IAF have to ground all Su-30MKI fighters and replace all engines with new engines from Russia. In the place of Sukhoi, I will sell them for double price, which HAL have to pay.

Now it is really logical, why France doesn't want India to produce Rafales. They have seen, what India did with their Su-30.

medo wrote:Now it is really logical, why France doesn't want India to produce Rafales. They have seen, what India did with their Su-30.

Fair point but from the link that you have shared it seems the guy was stealing parts of the Su 30 not replacing them. In any case India does not have the capability to manufacture such blades. Most of their components for the Su 30 come from Russia & Ukraine. Those guys only assemble it in India.

jhelb wrote:

medo wrote:Now it is really logical, why France doesn't want India to produce Rafales. They have seen, what India did with their Su-30.

Fair point but from the link that you have shared it seems the guy was stealing parts of the Su 30 not replacing them. In any case India does not have the capability to manufacture such blades. Most of their components for the Su 30 come from Russia & Ukraine. Those guys only assemble it in India.

He is stealing them for a private company. I doubt he is doing it alone and hide those blades in a pocket on his trousers. If those blades come from Russia, than you could be sure, they are in exact numbers, what means stolen blades could be noticed as they could not complete engines. I think they replace them by fake blades, that their number is OK and no one notice missing blades.

GarryB wrote:I have read about cases in the US where small arms ammo, HE charges and blasting caps, and even TOW and LAW missiles and rockets are sold on the black market...

"The Art Of The Deal"

Russian state technology corporation Rostec said that India has expressed interest in carrying out a joint project to extensively modernize its SU-30MKI aircraft in collaboration with Russian companies.

Russia, India in Talks on Making Ammo for Smerch Rocket Launchers
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – India has expressed interest in carrying out a joint project to extensively modernize its SU-30MKI aircraft in collaboration with Russian companies, the Russian state technology corporation Rostec said in a statement Friday.

"In the long term, as recommended by the Russian Ministry of Defense, we plan a major upgrade of the SU-30SM [model] to increase its combat effectiveness. The Indian government has expressed interest in collaborating to modernize the SU-30MKI, which is an evolution of the SU-30SM," the statement reads.

According to the statement, both aircraft models will be given upgraded avionics and radars, as well as an improved engine. The SU-30SM and the SU-30MKI will also be equipped with additional weapons.

The SU-30 MKI, NATO reporting name Flanker-H, is the Indian Air Force’s elite fighter-bomber. It was developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation and built under license by India's Hindustan Aeronautics.

Russia and India have been close partners in military and technical cooperation for decades. In 2014, the total value of weapons and military hardware delivered by Russia to India reached $4.7 billion, according to Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation estimates.



Read more: http://sputniknews.com/business/20150911/1026864701.html#ixzz3lQyM1QaY

"The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, inaugurated a structural repair shop for Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter planes at the Repairs and Overhaul facility in Nashik, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. said on Wednesday.

The Sukhoi-30s are described as the backbone of the IAF and the repair shop is said to be among the few in the world for the Russian-make fighters. “HAL plans activities such as aircraft handling, airframe structural repair, overhauling of hatch covers, repair and servicing of looms, and repair and overhaul of mechanical rotables, a HAL release said."

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/sukhoi-repair-centre-at-nashik/article7917486.ece

Russia Offers Su-30MKI Technology Transfer Under ‘Make-in-India’


Russia has expressed willingness to transfer technology of 332 components of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft under the ‘Make-in-India’ program.

These components, also called line replacement units (LRUs) refer to both critical and non-critical components and fall into four major heads such as Radio and Radar; Electrical & Electronics System; Mechanical System and Instrument System.

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which manufactures the aircraft under licence from its Russian arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, has opened talks with the latter and the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer, Irkut Corp., to enable Indian industries to manufacture the LRUs through transfer of technology (TOT) from the relevant Russian manufacturers of the components, the Times of India reported on Friday.

Russia and India have commenced discussion since last August on further TOT for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI under the ‘Make-in-India’ program to enable greater participation from the Indian private industry in defence manufacture, the report added. India will receive the full complement of 272 Su-30MKI aircraft by the end of next month. While the number of aircraft with the Indian air force increases, so also does the need for maintenance, repair and overhaul. With a planned service life of 30 years, the requirement for LRUs will only increase.

Vitaly Borodich, senior vice-president (military aviation), IRKUT Corp had told defenseworld.net during an interview earlier this year, “Of the 272 aircraft contracted by India, 222 aircraft will have been co-produced in India with HAL as our main partner.”

Borodich had said that India (HAL) has mastered licence production to the extent that certain critical raw material is sourced locally.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/14723/Russia_Offers_Su_30MKI_Technology_Transfer_Under____Make_in_India___#.VlxBreP4p_l

MOSCOW: India and Russia are set to sign a pact for quick delivery of spare parts for the Su 30 MKI fleet that would ensure that the aircraft is available for more combat missions - a key focus area for Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who has working on reducing the amount of time frontline fighters are grounded due to technical issues.

The long term spares agreement will provide for an express process for the delivery of spares for the fleet for the next five years. Unlike in the past where each spare part had to be ordered separately with a lengthy process involving license, customs clearance and bank guarantees, the contract will ensure that spare parts start getting manufactured within a month of the air force raising a requirement.

Follow @ETDefence Twitter handle for comprehensive coverage on other buzzing Defence stories

"A delegation from the Indian defence ministry is expected in the second half of December and we hope to have a positive decision and sign the contract at the soonest," Valery V Chishchevoy, Marketing Director of Sukhoi told ET.

While in the past, the bureaucratic processes led to a 12 month time period between the time a requirement was raised and the spare part would start to get manufactured, this time will now be cut to 30 days.

Chishchevoy said that the main purpose of the new agreement is to increase the reliability and availability of the Su 30 fleet to 60 percent and higher. The availability rate is the number of aircraft in the entire fleet that are available for combat missions at any given time. At present, just over 50 percent of India's Su 30 fleet - 272 of the fighters have been ordered - are available for combat missions as the rest are either undergoing repairs or grounded due to delay in the supply of spare parts.

Defence Minister Parrikar has told ET in the past that his aim is to increase this availability rate to 65 percent and above so that the available resources of the air force are used optimally. The Su 30 MKI fleet is the cutting edge of the airforce and would be it largest in terms of numbers of a modern fighter jet.

There is a possibility that the availability of the fleet could touch the magical figure of 75 percent. Chishchevoy said that the Russian proposal ten years ago when the fleet was young was to appoint Sukhoi as the single supplier responsible for the serviceability of the fleet and 75 percent would be `guaranteed

"Under the new contract, after the receipt of a request from the Indian air force, the spare part wil be delivered to the air force warehouse within 4-12 months, depending on the time it takes to manufacture the part. As of now, 12 months are required for just to start the production, this will reduce to 30 days," Viacheslav Yu Lozan, After Sale Center Director, Sukhoi said.

(This journalist is in Russia on the invitation of the United Aircraft Company)

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50075387.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI Engine Burnout Issue Sorted
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/sukhoi-engine-burnout-issue-sorted-hal/44053.html

wonder what modifications wre done.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Thursday said the issue of frequent mid-air engine burnouts of the India’s front line fighter jet, the Sukhoi-30MKI, has been corrected.



HAL, a Ministry of Defence owned company, is the Indian integrator and producer of the Russian origin twin engines fighter – the main stay of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in its preparation for a simultaneous two-front war scenario with Pakistan and China.


The Sukhoi-30MKI faced repeated mid-air engine failures between 2012 and 2013, after which the IAF asked the Russians to rectify the problem in the fighter jet.


The Tribune had first highlighted the issue in a news report on July 21.


The Sukhoi engine was ordered to be modified under new specifications laid down by its Russian manufacturers to fix mid-air engine trouble in its fleet.


In a press conference at the three-day event of Aero India in Bangalore, HAL’s MiG division managing director S Subramanyam today said: “All modifications have been successfully carried out and this included a more frequent oil changes for proper lubrication of that moving parts.”


Subramanyam said the modified engines have been tested to their limits and since June 2014 there have been no mid-air engine failure.



Sources said the modification will be carried out on 400 engines of the twin-engine aircraft, besides installation of some spares for emergencies. The Russians will install modified engines on the next lot of 72 jets, sources said.


The modification on existing engines has been carried out at HAL’s Sukhoi engine plant in Orissa.


The refit will be carried out in batches over the next 18-24 months.


The Russians had assured India that the modifications will eliminate the problem of mid-air engine failure.


. Since the engines powering the jet are still being produced, there is a scope for modification.


The IAF studied each failure in detail between 2012 and 2013.


The instances of single-engine Su-30MKI landings were very high during the period. This was lowering the operational ability of the fleet, besides raising questions about war readiness.


The Su-30MKI is a twin-engine aircraft and can land even if one of its engines fails mid-air. But this limits pilot’s ability to attack or withdraw during a conflict.

NEW DELHI: India has always stood out for its prowess in developing missiles and with the upcoming test-launch of the BrahMos missile from Su-30MKI fighter jet, the country is all set to create history. "The day BrahMos is successfully test-fired from Su-30MKI, the whole aeronautics community would be saluting us for achieving a very, very difficult milestone in missile and aeronautical technology," says MD & CEO of BrahMos Aerospace Sudhir Kumar Mishra.


In an interview with Economictimes.com, Sudhir Mishra said, "BrahMos is a very heavy missile and such class of missiles has never been integrated with Su-30MKI." "The launch of BrahMos from Su-30MKI comprises several phases. Structural modifications have been carried out in the aircraft to integrate BrahMos on to it," explained Mishra.


Around three-to-four varieties of missile will be flown on Su-30MKI to testify the integration. Dummy and technology missile tests will be carried out along with a pure drop test of the missile. Finally, in the fourth stage, the actual test of the missile would be against land and ship targets. "We should be able to reach to that stage in the second part of 2016," says Mishra.

Mishra is confident that a single test (from Su-30 MI) against land and ship targets would be sufficient to testify the success of the integration.

Asked about the underwater version of the BrahMos missile, which the Indian Navy is yet to test from a submarine, Mishra said, "BrahMos has been successfully flight tested from a pontoon. As a system, pontoon behaves very similar to a submarine. It has been demonstrated that the missile can be launched from sub-water." "We are in touch with many submarine manufacturers in Russia (Rubin Design Bureau), Germany (HDW) and Spain (Navantia). These submarine manufacturers have confirmed that it is possible to integrate BrahMos with their submarines. BrahMos is one of the credible weapons in the inventory of Indian Navy, so we are very confident that the test will happen in the future," he added.

BrahMos Aerospace is a join venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia. It was established in 1998, through an inter-governmental agreement. Both the Indian Army and Navy have inducted the supersonic cruise missile which has a range of 290-km. BrahMos flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach and carries a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg.

According to Mishra, BrahMos Mark II or Hypersonic BrahMos will be able to fly much faster than the existing one. "There are some problems in making a pure hypersonic engine. As of now, we are conducting research completely in the theoretical region. My estimate is that we will be standing at the door of hypersonic engine in about three to four years, and pure hypersonic in about seven to eight years," he said.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/50848753.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

EXCLUSIVE

Rebound To Russia: Amid Rafale Impasse, IAF To Buy 40 More Sukhois

By Arming India Correspondent




NEW DELHI, FEB. 10, 2016: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has initiated the procurement of a fresh lot of 40 additional Su-30MKI air dominance fighters at an estimated $75 million apiece, reliable diplomatic sources disclosed to Arming India.

The procurement is being taken up as a follow-on order to the 222 Su-30MKI fighters already contracted to be made under transfer of technology at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)'s Nasik division.

Along with the initial 50 aircraft acquired in a flyaway condition from Russia in the late 1990s, the latest increment of 40 aircraft will take the total number of Su-30MKIs ordered for the IAF to 312.

This is a significant development running concurrently with the rapid headway in India-Russia talks on finalizing an agreement on an Indian commitment to the futuristic Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Arming India had on Feb. 3, 2016 exclusively reported a $3.7 billion deal-in-the-works for India's contribution to the development costs of the FGFA, and a further commitment to buy a minimum of 60 of these fighters.

The rebound to Russia takes places amidst a continuing impasse in Indo-French price negotiations for the import of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft for the IAF.

Observers also see these developments as a consequence of a determined rearguard action by Russia to protect its turf and reinforce its pre-eminence in the Indian defense aerospace market. Russia's traditional dominance in the Indian market has sought to have been challenged by the U.S., Israel and Europe in the last decade-and-a-half.

The reliance on the Sukhois extends the life of the Su-30MKI assembly line in Nasik by another decade. An estimated 175 of the 222 Su-30 MKIs contracted to be assembled in India are reported to have already been rolled out. The roll-out rate is between 10 and 12 aircraft a year. Post the Sukhois, the Russian complex at HAL will be kept alive with the licensed manufacture of the FGFA.

Interestingly, India and Russia are set to sign a deal for faster delivery of Sukhoi spares for the IAF. The Economic Times had reported in early December 2015, quoting Sukhoi Managing Director Valery V. Chishchevoy, that an Indian delegation was to deliberate on the spares supply deal later that month and the contract for the same would be signed at the earliest.

The Sukhoi resurgence and the FGFA inroads will directly impact on the market for the Rafale in India, keen observers of defense trade reckon. Although the initial negotiations are for only 36 Rafale jets for the IAF, France is already pursuing a detailed roadmap to notch up sales even beyond the original Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) number of 126 and also pitch the Rafale for the Indian Navy, sources inform Arming India. The Russian jets, clearly, stand in the way of these plans.

What is hard for a resource-strapped Indian defense establishment to ignore is that the Rafale is, reportedly, two-and-a-half times more expensive than the Rafale. The cost of 40 follow-on Sukhois to the Indian exchequer is about $3 billion, as against the reported $7 billion to $8 billion for the 36 Rafales.

However, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha has made it clear on more than a couple of occasions that Sukhois aren't a replacement for the MMRCA, under which Rafale is the chosen one.

http://armingindia.com/Rebound%20To%20Russia%20Amid%20Rafale%20Impasse,%20IAF%20To%20Buy%2040%20More%20Sukhois.htm

Representatives of the joint Indian-Russian missile project, BrahMos, told IHS Jane's at DSA 2016, that the final, air-launched, version of the missile is close to being operational and the final steps could be taken this year.

The missile, which is already deployed at about 10 naval vessels of the Indian Armed Forces and also operated as a ground-launched tactical missile on mobile launchers, will now be available to the air force.

The BrahMos will be carried on Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft. A single missile is to be mounted on a specially built pylon that is placed centreline on the aircraft.

http://www.janes.com/article/59686/dsa-2016-progress-reported-on-brahmos-air-launched-variant

Bengaluru, April 29: The Indian Air Force (IAF) top guns currently participating in the Exercise Red Flag are ready to go for the ‘kill' during the Main Conduct Phase.

Ex-Red Flag saw the culmination of its ‘Work-up Phase' at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) in Alaska on April 27. The IAF contingent is led by Group Captain H Assudani.




On Friday, the Minister of Defence confirmed that the IAF team achieved all objectives of the first phase and completely geared for the next phase, beginning on May 3.

The 12-aircraft team including four Sukhois, four Jaguars, two IL-78 tankers and two C-17s strategic airlift platforms are participating in this exercise.

MoD said that the F-16 Aggressor Squadron commended the IAF team's performances so far. Eielson AFB, where the contingent is presently deployed, is located 26 miles south-east of Fairbanks town. It has one of the best operating environments in the United States.

The base houses the elite 18th Aggressor Squadron of USAF operating the F-16s in addition to KC-135 Squadron.

As reported by OneIndia earlier, 12 IAF assets are at Eielson AFB participating in the 15-day-long air exercise.

The 12-aircraft IAF team consists of four Su-30 MKIs, four Jaguars, two IL-78 tankers and two C-17s strategic airlift platforms.

IAF had said earlier that the exercise would provide opportunity for exchange of ideas relating to concept of operations in a dynamic warfare environment.

Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/iaf-top-guns-set-main-phase-ex-red-flag-2084947.html

well this is a best idea igonored by pro western paid indian media, india seems to have in pronicipal decided to have increase the size of su 30mki fleeit by another 3-4 sq atleast which makes sense and the money saved from rafale restricted deal can be spent on upgrading Tejas, AMCA and manufacturing FGFA

India’s plans to become the latest country to jump on the 5th-Generation bandwagon by Jointly developing FGFA based on Sukhoi’s T-50 Stealth aircraft might be delayed since India and Russia are pushing for development of Super Sukhoi upgrade package for its current fleet of Sukhoi-30MKI front-line jet which might up at steep price likely to delay FGFA programme .

According to media reports, agreement on Super Sukhoi upgrade package most likely will happen in next 6 months which is pegged at 8$billion to upgrade India’s entire fleet of nearly 270 Sukhoi-30MKI combat jets .

According to latest report Super Sukhoi upgrade package will large concentrate on bringing major changes to it Avionics , Software, Pilot interface and Integration of new AESA Multi-mode Radar . Few Sukhoi-30s will have strengthed air frame to support BrahMos-A but all others will be BrahMos-NG and Nirbhay ALCM capable bringing a host of new standoff weapons to India’s Sukhoi-30s arsenal .

European companies like MBDA have offered latest weapons like Brimstone which is an air-launched ground attack missile and Meteor which is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) for integration with India’s Sukhoi-30MKI fleet, but it is likely India will go for improved weapons systems of Russian origins after Super Sukhoi upgrade.

Russia will be tasked to develop a prototype and certify Super Sukhoi upgrade aircraft before passing on the TOT for local up gradation by HAL in India replicating Indo-Russian Mig-29UPG modernisation program . The steep price of Super Sukhoi upgrade will see further delays to next Indo-Russian FGFA project due to budgetary constraints .

http://idrw.org/super-sukhoi-upgrades-to-come-with-steep-price-for-india/#more-102613