India Ordering, Modernizing SU-30MKIs
India Ordering, Modernizing SU-30MKIs
India's SU-30MKI fighter-bombers are the pride of its fleet, and 272 have already been ordered in 4 stages: 50 SU-30MK and MKIs ordered directly from Russia in 1996, another 40 ordered direct in 2007, a license-build deal with India's HAL that aims to produce up to 140 more planes from 2013-2017, and an improved set of 42 HAL-built SU-30MKI "Super 30s" were ordered in 2011. Earlier-model aircraft and crews performed very well at an American Red Flag exercise in 2008, and the RAF's respect for it in the 2007 Indra Dhanush exercise is equally instructive.
India's local Tejas LCA lightweight fighter program aims to fill its low-end fighter needs, and the $10+ billion M-MRCA competition will purchase an intermediate tier. India isn't neglecting its high end, either. Initial SU-30MK and MKI aircraft have all been upgraded to the full SU-30MKI Phase 3 standard, and India may follow that with a "Super 30" upgrade program for serving aircraft. Meanwhile, HAL's challenge is to meet those production targets"¦
Contracts & Key Events
Dec 20/11: Russia has reportedly signed a preliminary deal with India to sell 42 upgraded Su-30MKI "Super 30" fighters, to be added to HAL's license production backlog. That brings total Indian SU-30 orders to 272. Key Super 30 upgrades are reported to include a new radar (probably AESA, and likely Phazotron's Zhuk-AE), improved onboard computers, upgraded electronic warfare systems, and the ability to fire the air-launched version of the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. Price was not reported, but Parliamentary transcripts place the budget for this buy at around $2.4 billion.
The Super 30 deal is 1 of 5 trade & defense deals signed in Moscow during the summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. A proposed nuclear plant deal was not among them. Assam Tribune | Deccan Herald | AP.
Dec 20/11: India's fleet of SU-30MKIs resumes flying, after being informally grounded in the wake of the Pune crash. As for that crash, Daily Pioneer reports that:
"There was a problem in the fly-by-wire system"¦ This is a new thing. Pilot did not get any warning. There were no indications in the cockpit and the aircraft was out of control," the IAF chief told PTI here. He said the pilot "tried his best to control the aircraft for 15-20 minutes" before ejecting out along with the Weapon Systems Operator (WSO)..."
Dec 16/11: The Hindustan Times reports that perennial problems with Russian spares & reliability have become an urgent issue for the SU-30MKI fleet now:
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to red-flag [SU-30] serviceability, product support and pending upgrade"¦ at the annual [Russian] summit meeting"¦. Top government sources said that Air Headquarters has urgently requested the Prime Minister to raise the issue of engine serviceability with his Russian counterpart after few incidents of engine failures"¦. the top brass has conveyed to government that "shaft bearing failures" have occurred in some [AL-31FP] engines. "In peacetime, the fighter can land on the other engine but this can be a life and death situation in adverse conditions, said a senior official."
Dec 13-15/11: An SU-30MKI crashes 25 minutes after takeoff, in the flying area of the Lohegaon IAF base, in Pune. Both pilots ejected safely. This is the IAF's 3rd SU-30MKI crash; the 1st crash in 2009 was due to a fly-by-wire fault, and the 2nd also happened in 2009 when foreign matter was sucked into the plane's engine.
In response, A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered to look into the reasons behind the crash. India also grounds its SU-30MKI fleet, pending maintenance inspections and some idea of what caused this crash. Rediff | Economic Times of India | IBN Live | Indian Express | Hindustan Times
Nov 23/11: Minister of State for Defence Shri MM PallamRaju is grilled about SU-30 deliveries by Parliamentarians in Rajya Sabha, and explains both the project history, and HAL's manufacturing responses. So far, he says that "Out of the total 180 aircraft", India has received 99 SU-30MKIs "till 2010-11".
That delivery total and date is very ambiguous. It implies orders with HAL for 180 planes, which would entail a 2nd contract for another 40-42 fighters (vid. Aug 9/10 entry). Earlier reports re: HAL deliveries (vid. June 26/10 entry) pegged them at 74 planes from HAL, and the Russian deliveries are expected to wrap up in 2012; 99 total planes from both sources would fit that model, if the answer is read as "99 by the beginning of the 2010-11 fiscal period." With expected 2010 production of 28 HAL SU-30MKIs, however, a read of "99 of 180 SU-30MKIs delivered as of November 2011" only makes sense if all the planes he's referring to are from HAL. HAL's responses to production delays are said to include:
Commissioning of additional tooling jigs & fixtures in manufacturing and assembly Shops.
Increased Outsourcing.
Development of alternate vendors.
Improvements in manufacturing processes & Operations in order to reduce cycle time.
Effective monitoring and timely actions through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Recruitment/Redeployment of manpower in critical work Centers.
Oct 11/11: India is reportedly looking at fitting its Su-30MKIs with Phazotron's Zhuk-AE active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, instead of their present Tikhomrov N011M Bars passive mechanically scanned array radars. The switch would improve reliability, radar power, and performance, but the new radars would have to be tied into the combat system, tested for aerodynamic balance and other changes they might create, etc.
The X-band Zhuk-AE can reportedly track 30 aerial targets in the track-while-scan mode, and engage 6 targets simultaneously in attack mode. Aviation Week.
Aug 29/11: Russia and India have reached agreement on the technical specification of the Super 30 upgrade, including BrahMos missile integration and an AESA radar. The exact nature of that radar is still in question. Reports to date have discussed an enlarged version of the MiG-35's Phazotron Zhuk-AE, but Tikhomirov's NIIP could also be chosen, and the firm demonstrated an improved version at the Moscow Air Show (MAKS 2011). AIN.
Aug 18/10: Defence Minister Antony replies to Parliamentary questions about the "Super 30" upgrade:
"There is proposal to upgrade the SU-30 MKI aircraft of the Indian Air Force by M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with the support of the Russian Original Equipment Manufacturer. The current estimated cost is Rs. 10920 crores and the aircraft are likely to be upgraded in a phased manner from year 2012 onwards."
Note the word "proposal." At this point, the estimate in rupees is equivalent to about $2.41 billion.
Aug 9/10: Defense minister Antony offers an update re: additional SU-30MKI purchases, in a written Parliamentary reply to Shri Asaduddin Owaisi:
"The Defence Acquisition Council has accepted a proposal for the procurement of 42 Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft from M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, India. The proposal is being further progressed for submitting to the Cabinet Committee on Security. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 20,107.40 crores [DID: about $4.36 billion, or about $104 million per plane] and the aircraft is planned to be delivered during 2014-2018. The proposal is being progressed as a repeat order from M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, India under the Defence Procurement Procedure-2008."
That's even higher than the estimates in June 2010, when the story broke (vid. June 26/10 entry). The cost of this deal soon attracts controversy, especially given that a 2007 deal for 40 SU-30MKIs cost only $1.6 billion/ Rs 7,490 crore. That prompts speculation that these will be upgraded "Super 30" aircraft. DNA India.
July 4/10: India's Economic times quotes unnamed sources within India's MoD:
"As part of IAF's modernisation programme, we are going to upgrade 50 Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft with help of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) from Russia"¦. The ones to be upgraded are from the first phase [from Russia, before the HAL order, of mixed SU-30MKs and MKIs] and the project is likely to be completed in the next three to four years"¦"
Details are consistent with earlier "Super 30" reports. What this doesn't clearly say: is there, in fact, a contract to do this work?
June 26/10: The Times of India reports that India's Cabinet Committee for Security has cleared a nearly Rs 15,000 crore (about $3.3 billion) order for another 42 Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters, for delivery by around 2018:
"The present order for 42 fighters was originally supposed to be 40, but two more were added to the order book to make up for the two crashed fighters. A senior official said that HAL is expected to complete all the SU-30 MKI orders by 2016-17 period"¦. last year it delivered 23 of these fighters, this year it is expected to produce 28. HAL has already supplied 74 of these fighters."
May 30/10: India Today magazine reports that India has placed orders with the Russian defense industry to modernize 40 Su-30MKI Flanker-H fighters to "Super 30" status, with new radars, onboard computers, and electronic warfare systems, and the ability to fire the air-launched version of the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. RIA Novosti.
Dec 7/09: Defense minister Antony offers an update on the existing program to assemble SU-30MKIs in India:
"In addition to licensed manufacture of 140 SU-30 aircraft by M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a contact for procurement of additional 40 SU-30 MKI was signed with M/s HAL in 2007. Out of these three aircraft have been delivered to the Indian Air Force and delivery of the remaining aircraft is expected to be completed by 2011-12"
Nov 30/09: A SU-30MKI crashes near the firing range at Pokharan, triggering a fleet-wide grounding and investigation. Both pilots eject safely, and initial suspicion focuses on the plane's engine. MoD announcement | Indian Express re: Grounding | Indian Express.
An SU-30 had also crashed on April 30/09, reportedly due to the failure of its fly-by-wire system. These 2 accidents are the only SU-30 losses India has experienced.
Nov 12/09: India's Business Standard reports that the SU-30MKI program is about to include Samtel Display Systems' multi-function displays; their first delivery will equip 6 Su-30MKIs in lieu of Thales systems manufactured under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in Nashik. Samtel has a joint venture with Thales, and went forward on its own through the 5-year road to "airworthy" certification from DRDO's CEMILAC. A public-private partnership with HAL has created Samtel HAL Display Systems (SHDS), which may create wider opportunities for Samtel's lower-priced displays – if both delivery and quality are up to par on the initial SU-30MKI orders.
The article notes that Samtel has succeeded, in part, by embracing obsolete technology that others were abandoning (CRT displays), even as it prepares to leapfrog LCD displays with Organic Light Emitting Diodes. The road to military certification isn't an easy one, though:
"Starting with liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, commercially procured from Japan and Korea, Samtel has ruggedised them for use in military avionics. The display must be easily readable even in bright sunlight; it must be dim enough for the pilot to read at night without losing night vision; it must work at minus 40 degrees Centigrade when conventional LCD screens get frozen solid; and it must absorb the repeated violent impacts of landing on aircraft carriers."
Oct 9/09: The Indian Ministry of Defence issues a release regarding the 9th meeting of the Russia-India Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation on Oct 14-15/09:
"The modernisation of the SU 30 MKI aircraft is also expected to come up for discussion in the Commission's meeting. The aircraft, contracted in 1996, are due for overhaul shortly and the Russia side have offered an upgrade of the aircraft with incorporation of the latest technologies during the major overhaul."
Obvious areas for modernization would include the aircraft's N011M Bars radar, now that Russian AESA designs are beginning to appear. Engine improvements underway for Russia's SU-35 program would also be a logical candidate for any SU-30MKI upgrades. The most important modification, however, might be an upgraded datalink that could reduce the level of coalition fratricide observed in exercises like Red Flag 2008. Indian MoD | RIA Novosti.
Oct 2/09: Jane's reports that India is looking to buy another 50 SU-30MKIs, quoting Air Chief Marshal P V Naik who said that the IAF was "interested." This comes hard on the heels of comments that the IAF's fleet strength was 1/3 the size of China's, coupled with comments that the IAF would eliminate its fighter squadron deficit by 2022.
Interest is not a purchase, but reported prices of $50-60 million for an aircraft that can can equal or best $110-120 million F-15 variants do make the SU-30 an attractive buy, even relative to options like the foreign designs competing for the MMRCA contract. Forecast International offers an additional possibility, citing the context within which that interest was expressed, and wondering if the new SU-30KIs might be tasked with a nuclear delivery role. Their range and payload would certainly make them uniquely suited to such a role within the IAF.
If a purchase does ensue, it would be good news for a number of players, including Indian firms that have contributed technologies to the SU-30MKI design. Samtel Display Systems (SDS), who makes avionics for the SU-30MKI's cockpit, would be one example of a growing slate of private Indian defense firms with niche capabilities. Construction firms may also benefit; The Deccan Herald reports that:
"The IAF is keeping one squadron of its most advanced Su-30 MKI fighters in Bareilly whose primary responsibility is the western and middle sector of the LAC. Similarly a Su-30 base is being created in Tezpur, Assam, for the eastern sector [near China]."
March 31/06: India's Cabinet Committee on Security approves the speeded-up delivery plan. The IAF signs revised contracts for 140 SU-30MKIs, to be delivered by 2014-15. A 2007 contract adds another 40 SU-30MKIs, by the same deadline, but those are ordered direct from Russia. Source.
June 2005: IAF Headquarters looks at its fleet strength and planned aircraft retirements, and asks HAL if it could deliver all of the SU-30MKIs by 2015 instead. HAL responds with a proposal that they believe will get them to a full-rate assembly flow of 16 planes per year. Source.
Dec 12/04: Irkut Corp. announces that they have begun delivery of final "3rd phase" configuration Su-30MKIs to the Indian Air Force.
Initial deliveries involved aircraft optimized for aerial combat, while Phase 2 added more radar modes for their NIIP N-011 radars, TV-guided Kh-59M missiles, the supersonic Kh-31A/ AS-17 Krypton multi-role missile, and simultaneous attack of 4 aerial targets by guided air-to-air missiles. Phase 3 Su-30MKIs fully implement all navigation and combat modes in the contract, including laser-guided bombs, weapon launch in thrust-vectoring "supermaneuverability" mode, and engagement of up to 4 aerial targets in front or rear. Ramenskoye Design Bureau (RPKB) is responsible for the avionics and software, and also provide the Sapfir maintenance and mission planning ground suite.
Oct 6/04: The SU-30MKI's Saturn AL-31FP engines have their "Certificate of the AL-31FP life-time" signed by the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Central Aviation Engines Institute (CIAM), NPO Saturn, UMPO, SUKHOI Corporation, and IRKUT Corporation.
The statistics are: MTBO (Mean Time Between Overhauls) 1,000 hours, and 2,000 hours assigned life. The thrust-vectoring nozzles take a beating, though, with only 500 hours MTBO. Irkut Corp.
January 2011: Indian government formally approves the SU-30MKI project, with an expected full-rate assembly flow of 12 planes per year, beginning in 2004-05 and continuing until 2017-18. Source.
Dec 18/2000: India's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approves the project to assemble the SU-30MKIs in India. Source.
Oct 4/2000: Russia and India sign an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for transfer of License and Technical Documentation to India, for "production of 140 SU-30 MKI Aircraft, its Engines and Aggregates." Source.
