The Indian Air Force (IAF) will increase the number of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters that can carry the air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic missile

The IAF had approved plans to modify 40 Su-30MKIs to enable them to operate the BrahMos Air-launched Cruise Missile (ALCM).

The Su-30MKI reportedly requires hardening in certain sections of its fuselage to carry the 2.5-ton BrahMos missile on its underside.

The modification is being performed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) locally in India. As per reports, 35 modified Su-30s have thus far been delivered to the IAF, with the service planning to approve the second batch of around 20 to 25 fighters.

The Brahmos missile increases the combat range of the Su-30MKI, enabling the IAF to strike targets at long distances. For example, as part of a test in 2020, a Su-30 armed with the air-launched version of the missile took off from a base in Punjab and struck a target in the Indian Ocean.

The target was struck deep in the Indian Ocean, approximately 4,000 kilometers away, which was considered ‘the longest’ mission of this kind.

eurasiantimes