Su-30MKI fighters of the Indian Air Force can now operate Russian AL-31FP engines for longer – their technical resource has been increased to 2500 hours. The first modernized engine has already been delivered to the customer after the completion of the upgrade program. The work was carried out by the Indian aircraft manufacturing company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This is reported by the publication IDRW.

Extending the resource will allow increasing the intervals between power unit repairs and improving the operational readiness of the Su-30MKI multi-role fighter fleet. For India, this project is of great importance, as the AL-31FP remains the main engine of the country's most numerous combat aircraft.

The AL-31FP is a two-spool turbofan engine with an afterburner and thrust vectoring system. It was developed by the Russian enterprise "Saturn" and is used on Su-30MKI family fighters. The engine develops thrust up to 12.5 thousand kgf in afterburner and provides the aircraft with high maneuverability due to its swivel nozzles.

As part of the program, specialists studied the condition of the main engine components, calculated the remaining resource, and made the necessary changes for safe operation up to the new limit. Previously, the resource of these engines was lower, so increasing this indicator will allow more efficient use of the existing fleet of power units.

HAL also continues to develop the production and maintenance of AL-31FP in India. The company previously received a contract for the production of 240 engines for Su-30MKI, which are intended to support the operation of Indian Air Force aircraft in the long term.