India has set an ambitious goal to produce missile systems and aircraft for export. The state-owned aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is in talks with Russia to produce Su-30 fighters (developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau) for the international market. This was reported by the Eurasian Times.
Production could be established at the HAL plant in Nashik. This is expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Currently, the Indian Air Force operates approximately 260 Su-30MKI aircraft. Of these, 40 were directly purchased from Russia, while the remaining 222 fighters were assembled by HAL employees. The company has demonstrated its capabilities not only in the production but also in the maintenance of Russian aircraft. It can perform major repairs on 20 Su-30 fighters per year.
In addition, HAL is preparing to launch a comprehensive modernization program for the entire Su-30MKI fleet of the Indian Air Force. This ambitious project aims to bring these aircraft to a technological level comparable to advanced Western fighters such as the F-15EX, Rafale F4, Gripen NG, and Eurofighter LTE.
India hopes to offer its customers package solutions. Along with the Su-30, they want to sell Astra series missiles (created by specialists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO).
Current efforts are focused on developing and testing the Astra-Mark 2 missile variant with an increased range of up to 130 kilometers. HAL is preparing a long-range version of Astra with a projected strike capability of up to 300 kilometers.
Cooperation with Russia has helped India become more independent in the field of defense technologies. The country's authorities hope that it will become one of the major players in the international arms market.
About the Su-30MKI aircraft:
The first representative of the Su-30 fighter line was the Su-30MKI. The aircraft was built by order of India. In the 1990s, it brought more money to the Russian budget than all other export weapons combined.
The Su-30MKI fighter was developed at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in Moscow, and assembly was established in Irkutsk (now the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of PJSC Yakovlev). This enterprise became the main assembly site for the "thirties."
