File photo of an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI.
New Delhi: Just a week after the prime minister-chaired Cabinet Committee on Security’s nod, the defence ministry, on Monday, signed a deal with the state-run aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the procurement of 240 AL-31FP engines for the Indian Air Force’s frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI. The deal is worth over ₹26,000 crore.
The agreement was formalized in the presence of the defence secretary, Giridhar Aramane, and IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, in the national capital.
The HAL’s Koraput division will manufacture these engines, which are expected to maintain the operational readiness of the IAF’s Sukhoi-30MKI fleet. This is crucial for the country’s defence preparedness, especially in the light of the IAF’s depleting fighter fleet. According to the contract, the HAL is to deliver 30 engines annually, with the full complement of 240 engines to be completed over the next eight years.
Throughout the manufacturing process, the HAL said it intends to engage with the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, involving SMEs and both public and private sector industries.
On this agreement, an official said, “By the conclusion of the delivery programme, the HAL aims to increase the indigenous content to 63 per cent, which will achieve an average of over 54 per cent indigenous content in the IAF’s Sukhoi-30 fleet. This will also bolster the indigenous content in repair and overhaul tasks for these aero-engines.”
It is worth noting that the Sukhoi fighter constitutes one of the most formidable and strategically vital fleets in the IAF. Currently, the IAF operates 259 Su-30 MKI fighters out of 272 contracted, which are manufactured by the HAL under licence from Russia.
The initial phase of the upgrade process for the Sukhoi fleet will involve 84 fighters over a 15-year period.
Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, India has encountered challenges in securing spare parts from Moscow. Some of the IAF Sukhoi-30s are now over two decades old, and fighter engines require replacement after a certain number of flying hours.
