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SENAPATHI Report

Platform profile · India · Multirole air-superiority fighter · Indian Air Force

Sukhoi Su-30MKI

High activity

BrahMos integration is expanding across the fleet while overhaul and Super-30 upgrade decisions move through procurement.

On 25 June 2026, BrahMos Aerospace said around 40 IAF Su-30MKIs had been integrated with the air-launched BrahMos, while a May 2026 request for proposal for anti-jamming navigation antennas moved the Super-30 upgrade into another concrete subsystem phase. The Defence Acquisition Council approved overhaul of Su-30 engine aggregates on 27 March 2026, while the indigenous Super-30 programme for an initial 84 aircraft was still awaiting final Cabinet Committee on Security clearance in February 2026. India also has 12 new HAL-built aircraft under a December 2024 contract and 240 replacement AL-31FP engines under an eight-year support programme. As the IAF's largest fighter fleet and its principal BrahMos carrier, the Su-30MKI remains central to long-range operations against both Pakistani and Chinese threats.

Updated 25 Jun 2026

An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI flies with its canards and twin vertical tails clearly visible.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Specifications

Changelog

Program timeline

  1. BrahMos Aerospace said around 40 Su-30MKI fighters had been integrated with the air-launched BrahMos, whose extended-range version was reported at nearly 450 km.

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  2. The Ministry of Defence issued an RFP for 300 anti-jamming and anti-spoofing multi-constellation navigation antennas, plus 50 field testers and 10 base testers, for the Su-30MKI fleet under the wider Super-30 programme.

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  3. The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for overhaul of Su-30 aero-engine aggregates to extend aircraft service life and meet IAF operational requirements.

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  4. Reporting confirmed that the 84-aircraft Super-30 programme still awaited Cabinet Committee on Security clearance while the IAF considered a parallel Russian-assisted upgrade for approximately 175 other aircraft.

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  5. HAL said the Su-30MKI had received 100 India-led modifications and identified BrahMos integration as one of the most significant additions.

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  6. The Ministry of Defence awarded HAL a ₹135 billion contract for 12 Su-30MKIs and associated equipment, with 62.6% indigenous content and production at Nashik.

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  7. The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth more than ₹26,000 crore for HAL to manufacture 240 AL-31FP engines at 30 engines annually over eight years.

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  8. The Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for HAL to carry out an indigenous upgrade of the Su-30MKI fleet.

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