India’s Sukhoi-30 fighters turn lethal with Brahmos missile

The advanced Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters of the Indian Air Force(IAF) are ready to turn lethal as the government gears up to mount the supersonic cruise missile Brahmos on the aircrafts. It would significantly add to the conventional offensive capabilities of Indian military might, while intensifying arms race in the region.

The government’s programme seeks to mount the missile on 42 Sukhoi fighters alongside 216 air-version missiles.

The cabinet committee on security(CCS) is likely to give its approval on the project to mount air version of Brahmos, a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, on IAF’s most advanced fighter aircraft.

The project is being considered amid the feasibility studies to establish that the air-launched version of Brahmos can successfully be mounted on the fighter aircrafts. The government proposes to develop two prototypes of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters fitted with the missile for field trials in the project's first phase.

The entire project is reportedly to be executed in India by Brahmos Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL), with Russia providing design and technical consultancy.

The supersonic cruise missile Brahmos already has land and naval versions, which are successfully commissioned by the Army and the Navy.