Indian Defence Minister Holds Talks with Russia to Modernise Su-30MKI Fighters: What New Capabilities Are Being Considered?

Indian Defence Minister Radjnath Singh has held talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the further modernisation of the country’s fleet of Su-30MKI fighters. The meeting was held “against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor,” according to the Defence Ministry, in reference to India’s offensive against Pakistan in early May which resulted in the loss of several fighters, including newly procured French Rafale combat jets. The Rafale and Su-30MKI form the the elite of the Indian fighter fleet, with 36 Rafales having been procured from France, and over 270 Su-30s from Russia. The Su-30MKI was considered the most capable fighter in India, and according to several sources in the world, when first procured in 2002, with features such as its phased array radar and three dimensional thrust vectoring engines, combined with its very long range and the outstandingly large size of the sensor suite it could accommodate, placing it ahead of rival aircraft. The fighter’s standing has diminished considerably since then, however, with its sensors, engines and weaponry considered increasingly out of date, and thus unable to provide an advantage over new Chinese fighters such as the J-16 or J-10C, the latter which has been exported to Pakistan.

Other than the Chinese fleets of J-16 and J-20 fighters, the Su-30MKI is the most widely operated heavyweight fighter class by a single service anywhere in the world. With the aircraft expected to serve into the 2040s, there is a strong rationale to invest in the modernisation of at least a large part of the fleet, particularly when considering the fighter’s significant potential to incorporate upgrades. Three parts of the aircraft which could be particularly straightforward to improve, each of which would revolutionise performance, are its radar, engines, and air-to-air weaponry.

The N011M is among the largest radars integrated onto any fighter in the world at approximately 650 kilograms, and its replacement by a modern active electronically scanned array radars could tremendously improve the fighter’s situational awareness, targeting capabilities, and electronic warfare potential. Although the Indian Defence Ministry previously planned to procure a domestically developed AESA radar, questions regarding the ability of the country’s electronics sector to produce a competitive radar design on an acceptable schedule have been widely raised. A Russian AESA radar, possibly based on the new design developed for the Su-57M1 fighter, could provide a more readily available and advanced stopgap for a portion of the fleet until an indigenous alternative completes development.

Integration of AL-41F1S engines developedfrom the Su-35 fighter onto Russia’s Su-30SM fleet began in 2022, with Belarus having switched its own orders from baseline Su-30SM fighters to also procure the variant with the new engine, designated Su-30SM2. The new engine class is a deep modernisation of the AL-31F used by the Su-30MKI, that integrates technologies from the cancelled AL-41F engine developed for the MiG 1.42 fifth generation fighter program. If integrated across India’s Su-30MKI fleet, the engine will significantly improve the fighters’ flight performances and ranges while provide far higher power levels for onboard avionics. The engine will also allow the Su-30MKI to fly supersonically without using its afterburners, a capability known as supercruise, which would significantly improve fuel efficiency if fighters are needed to rapidly respond to faraway threats.The engine’s maintenance needs and operational costs are also significantly lower, allowing the upgrade to largely cover its own costs.

A leading shortcoming with the Su-30MKi remains its air-to-air weaponry, with the R-77-1 air-to-air missile being far outperformed by modern Chines and American missile classes such as the PL-15, PL-16, AIM-120D and AIM-260. The R-77M developed for the Su-57 largely bridges the gap in performance with a range of approximately 200 kilometres, around double that of the baseline R-77, as well as active phased array antenna guidance. The R-37M long range air-to-air missile would extend the Su-30MKI’s air-to-air engagement range to approximately 350 kilometres, with the missile able to reach its targets much faster while carrying a far larger warhead. Pakistan’s reported plans to procure Chinese KJ-500 airborne early warning and control systems could make equipping the Su-30MKI fleet with such missiles an effective counter, with the missile class having made a particularly strong impression for its performance in the Ukrainian theatre. If properly modernised, the Su-30MKI has the potential to restore superiority over Pakistani fighter units and narrow the performance gap with higher end Chinese fourth generation fighters like the J-16. As the Indian Defence Ministry continues to consider a license production deal for Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighters, widespread upgrades for the Su-30MKI fleet have the potential to be highly complementary, allowing the two fighter classes to operate together much more effectively.