IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fighters to get upgraded BrahMos with 450 km range
With a flying radius of 1500 km without mid-air refuelling and a 450-km Extended Range variant of the BrahMos missile system, the IAF believes that the combination would be a deadly weapon package with strategic reach to hit targets at sea and land.
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FollowEven as it grapples with depleting fighter aircraft squadrons, the Indian Air Force has decided to enhance its strike capability by equipping more Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft with the Extended Range variant of the BrahMos missile.
The Extended Range variant of the BrahMos missile systems can target the enemy up to 450km away compared to the 290 km earlier. This enhancement was initiated after India formally joined the elite 35-nation missile technology club -- the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) -- in June 2016.
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In May this year, the Indian Air Force successfully tested the Extended Range version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile for the first time from a Su-30MKI fighter in the Bay of Bengal.
The IAF currently operates with 262 Su-30MKI aircraft, which form the backbone of its combat fleet. Earlier, the IAF had sent 42 Sukhois to Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for structural, mechanical and software modifications.
Sources in the IAF said: "We have received 35 aircraft from the HAL with the 290-km BrahMos fitted."
"We are planning to send another 20-25 Sukhoi fighter jets for structural, mechanical and software modifications to the HAL. These aircraft will be equipped with the Extended Range variant of BrahMos," sources said.
With a flying radius of 1500 km without mid-air refuelling and a 450-km Extended Range variant of the BrahMos missile system, the IAF believes that the combination would be a deadly weapon package with strategic reach to hit targets at sea and land.
BrahMos missiles are manufactured under an India-Russia joint venture which was formed in 1998. The name has been named after rivers of both countries -- India’s Brahmputra and Russia's Moskva.
The supersonic missile has a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (around 3,450 kmph or 2,148 mph), and is very tough to intercept by any surface-to-air missile.
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