India’s Defense Ministry has signed a deal to manufacture 240 AL-31AFP Aero Engines for Su-30MKI fighter jets at a cost of more than Rs 26,000 crore. Under the deal, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will manufacture them. The contract was signed by senior officials of the Ministry of Defense and HAL in the presence of Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary in New Delhi on September 9, 2024.
These aero engines will be manufactured at HAL’s Koraput division. It is expected that it will maintain the operational capability of the Sukhoi-30 fleet for the country’s defense preparedness. HAL will supply 30 aero engines per year as per the contracted delivery schedule. The supply of all 240 engines will be completed in the next eight years.
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While manufacturing these aero engines, HAL plans to seek support from the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, including MSMEs and public and private industries. By the end of the delivery schedule, HAL will increase the indigenous content to 63 per cent, taking its average to over 54 per cent.
Let us know the specialty of this fighter jet of the Air Force…
It can attack the enemy by performing acrobatics in the air at high and slow speeds and deceiving them. Su-30MKI is an advanced version of Russia’s Su-27. The Air Force has 272 Su-30MKI. This jet is fitted with Griazev-Shipunov autocannon. It fires 150 rounds in a minute.
It has 12 hard points. It can fit 4 types of rockets. It can fit 4 types of missiles and 10 types of bombs. Or a combination of these can be fitted. This fighter jet has more facility to fire weapons from hard points. If multiple racks are fitted then 14 weapons can be fitted in it.
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8130 kg weapons… equipped with Brahmos missiles
It can carry weapons weighing a total of 8130 KG. Brahmos missiles can also be deployed in it. China and Pakistan know how deadly and fast the Brahmos missile is. The range of the Brahmos missile fitted in Sukhoi is 500 km.
This is the only fighter jet that different countries adapt or modify to suit their needs so that they can deploy it according to the geographical location of their country. In India, Su-30MKI is manufactured by HAL. In 1997, HAL took its license from Russia. Then it started modifying the fighter jet to suit its needs. MKI means – Modernised Commercial Indian.
Such range and power that the enemy gets frightened
The length of Sukhoi is 72 feet. The wingspan is 48.3 feet. The height is 20.10 feet. Its weight is 18,400 KG. It has Lyulka L-31FP afterburning turbofan engines, which give it a power of 123 kilonewtons. This fighter jet flies at a maximum speed of 2120 km per hour. The range is also 3000 km. If it gets fuel mid-way, it can go up to 8000 km. It can fly up to a height of 57 thousand feet.
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