Sukhoi Su-30MKI
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a two-seater, twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). A variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, it is a heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter.
| Su-30MKI | |
|---|---|
| An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI | |
| Role | Multirole fighter, air superiority fighter |
| National origin | Russia / India |
| Manufacturer | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited |
| Design group | Sukhoi |
| First flight | Su-30МК: 1 July 1997 Su-30MKI: 2000 |
| Introduction | 27 September 2002 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Indian Air Force |
| Produced | Su-30MKI: 2000–present |
| Number built | 272 as of March 2020 |
| Developed from | Sukhoi Su-30 |
| Variants | Sukhoi Su-30MKM Sukhoi Su-30MKA |
Development of the variant started after India signed a deal with Russia in 2000 to manufacture 140 Su-30 fighter jets. The first Russian-made Su-30MKI variant was accepted into the Indian Air Force in 2002, while the first Su-30MKI assembled in India entered service with the IAF in November 2004. The IAF has nearly 260 Su-30MKIs in inventory as of January 2020. The Su-30MKI is expected to form the backbone of the IAF's fighter fleet to 2020 and beyond.
The aircraft is tailor-made for Indian specifications and integrates Indian systems and avionics as well as French and Israeli sub-systems. It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-35 with which it shares many features and components.