Super-Sukhoi Upgrade Programme Put In Motion, To Take 15 Years To Complete; Here's All About It

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has almost finalised and is set to send a draft note to the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for the Super-Sukhoi upgradation project.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) operates 259 Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets bought from Russia in the early 2000s, and these jets form the backbone of the IAF.

After close to two decades of service, these jets are long overdue for an upgrade that will bring them up to date with contemporary jets. The upgradation project is expected to cost almost Rs 63,000 crore.

According to a report by Times of India, the MoD has almost finalised a draft note, which will be sent to the CCS for approval of the upgrade project.

Under the first batch of this project, 84 jets will be upgraded with various advanced technologies. This includes the installation of a Made-in-India active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which will have a range of 1.5 to 1.7 times that of the original Sukhoi Bars passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar.

It will also have a more capable infrared search and track sensor (IRST), which is under development by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The jets’ electronics will also be upgraded. Overall, a total of 51 systems, including three mission computers, will be upgraded. Of these 51 systems, 30 will be upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), 13 by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and eight by the private sector.

The development, testing, and certification of the upgrades are expected to take seven years from the date of sanction, and another eight years will be required for the completion of the upgrades on all 84 jets, for a total span of 15 years.

By the mid-2030s, the fifth-generation stealth fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will be rolled out, which, if everything goes according to plan, will coincide with the completion of upgrades on the first batch of 84 Sukhoi jets.

The second batch of these jets (another 84) will then have all the new technology developed from the AMCA programme, which will keep these jets contemporary until the end of their service life, which the IAF expects to be until 2055.