NEW DELHI, Oct 19: To strengthen its air combat machinery along the borders with both Pakistan and China, India has decided to deploy its air superiority Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Chabua in Asom.
“We have decided to deploy the next two new squadrons of Su-30MKIs in Jodhpur and Chabua,” a highly-placed IAF officer told PTI here today.
IAF will get these warplanes by the end of this plan period. “We are hoping that both these bases will be operational with Su-30s by the end of the 2007-12 plan period,” the officer said.
Jodhpur will be the first Su-30MKI base along the Pakistan border. Till now, the IAF has deployed its main strike fighter either in Lohegaon near Pune or closer to China in Bareilly.
At the moment, IAF has three squadrons of Su-30 MKIs, two of which are based at Air Force Station (AFS) Lohegaon and the third is stationed at AFS Bareilly.
The fourth squadron of Su-30s for the IAF will be raised at Lohegaon in February next year and one of the existing Su-30 squadrons from Lohegaon will be moved to Tezpur in Asom by 2009.
IAF has started operating Su-30s in high-altitude areas too and currently one of the three squadrons is conducting practise flights from the Leh air base in Jammu & Kashmir.
India is already in the process of integrating its potent indigenous BrahMos supersonic cruise missile onto the IAF’s Su-30s. “We are currently working on integrating the deadly cruise missile on the biggest fighter aircraft in our inventory,” the officer said.
IAF is planning to start trials of Su-30s integrated with BrahMos missiles by the end of this year or early next year.
“Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will start carrying out the trials by the end of this year or early next year. Both India and Russia will be working together to achieve this objective,” the IAF officer said.
IAF has plans of inducting a squadron of BrahMos integrated Su-30s by 2012.
Though both New Delhi and Moscow, who jointly developed the missile, are working together to integrate the missile onto the Su-30s, Indian Air Force will be the first to make the system operational.
The Su-30MKI Block-III would be used during the trials of the BrahMos missile upon integration. The Block-III aircraft were first inducted into the IAF last year. PTI
“We have decided to deploy the next two new squadrons of Su-30MKIs in Jodhpur and Chabua,” a highly-placed IAF officer told PTI here today.
IAF will get these warplanes by the end of this plan period. “We are hoping that both these bases will be operational with Su-30s by the end of the 2007-12 plan period,” the officer said.
Jodhpur will be the first Su-30MKI base along the Pakistan border. Till now, the IAF has deployed its main strike fighter either in Lohegaon near Pune or closer to China in Bareilly.
At the moment, IAF has three squadrons of Su-30 MKIs, two of which are based at Air Force Station (AFS) Lohegaon and the third is stationed at AFS Bareilly.
The fourth squadron of Su-30s for the IAF will be raised at Lohegaon in February next year and one of the existing Su-30 squadrons from Lohegaon will be moved to Tezpur in Asom by 2009.
IAF has started operating Su-30s in high-altitude areas too and currently one of the three squadrons is conducting practise flights from the Leh air base in Jammu & Kashmir.
India is already in the process of integrating its potent indigenous BrahMos supersonic cruise missile onto the IAF’s Su-30s. “We are currently working on integrating the deadly cruise missile on the biggest fighter aircraft in our inventory,” the officer said.
IAF is planning to start trials of Su-30s integrated with BrahMos missiles by the end of this year or early next year.
“Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will start carrying out the trials by the end of this year or early next year. Both India and Russia will be working together to achieve this objective,” the IAF officer said.
IAF has plans of inducting a squadron of BrahMos integrated Su-30s by 2012.
Though both New Delhi and Moscow, who jointly developed the missile, are working together to integrate the missile onto the Su-30s, Indian Air Force will be the first to make the system operational.
The Su-30MKI Block-III would be used during the trials of the BrahMos missile upon integration. The Block-III aircraft were first inducted into the IAF last year. PTI
No comments:
Post a Comment