India Wants Russia To Upgrade Its Su-30s, Likely Looking For R-37M Air-To-Air Missiles

Illustrative image (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Ryan Crane) (Released by Staff Sgt. Brian Stives, 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office)

India and Russia discussed supplies of S-400 long-range air defense systems and Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets upgrades as well as purchases of critical military hardware in compressed time, the Indian Ministry of Defense said following a meeting in China’s Qingdao between India’s defense chief, Radjnath Singh, and his Russian counterpart, Andrey Belousov.

“That was one of key meetings recently between the two countries’ [defense] ministers against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the ensuing need to ramp up defense production, especially in such major spheres as air defense, air-to-surface missiles, cutting-edge capabilities, and the modernization of aircraft platforms,” the ministry said in a statement released on June 27.

“The meeting mostly focused on S-400 deliveries, the modernization of Su-30 MKIs, and the purchase of critical military hardware in compressed time,” it added.

Belousov and Singh were in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao to attend the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s defense chiefs.

India praised the performance of the S-400 during a confrontation with Pakistan earlier this year. The confrontation was sparked by the April 22 terrorist attack on Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the incident.

The situation escalated on May 7 following deadly Indian retaliatory strikes against Pakistan. The two counties exchanged strikes along the Line of Control, the de-facto borders in the disputed region of Kashmir, as well as over the internationally-recognized border for the next three days. A ceasefire was reached on May 10.

Indian media credited the S-400 with repelling several Pakistani drone and missile attacks, including one that targeted an air base where one such system was deployed.

Under a $5.43 billion deal signed in 2018, India received four S-400 squadrons from Russia. Each squadron is composed of two batteries. Each battery, or firing unit, is equipped with six launchers, a radar and a control center with 128 missiles. A squadron has a total of 16 vehicles.

In total, India got 60 launchers with around 6,000 missiles including 9M96E2 with a range of 120 kilometers, 48N6E2 with a range of 200 kilometers, 48N6E3 with a range of 240 kilometers and 40N6E which can engage targets as far as 380 kilometers.

During the same confrontation, India’s Dassault Rafale fighter jets performed very poorly, with Pakistan alleging that five were shot down. New Delhi purchased 36 Rafale from France very recently in a $8 billion deal

The Su-30MKI remains the main pillar of India’s air force, with over 250 in service. However, the fighter jet was sidelined in the last confrontation.
India proposed several plans to domestically upgrade its Su-30MKI fleet. Now, however, it appears that Russia will be directly involved in the process.

While there is no information on what upgrade these fighter jets could get, it is very likely that New Delhi is looking to arm them with Russia’s latest R-37M air-to-air missile. With a reported range of up to 400 kilometers and a list of confirmed kills during the special military operation in Ukraine, the missile is the longest-range combat proven air-to-air in service today.

The R-37M would give India’s Su-30MKIs a major advantage over Pakistan’s CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder and the Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, which proved to be superior to the Rafale with their Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missile that has a range of 145 kilometers during the last confrontation.

All in all, the new deals will affirm Russia’s position as one of the main military partners of India after years of Western attempts to pull New Delhi away from Moscow.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: