Bad news for Pakistan, China as Modi govt decides to upgrade Su-30MKIs to carry…., third Squadron planned by…

The recent standoff between India and Pakistan has brought this fact to the fore that a country should be well equipped in terms of defence preparedness. Defence minister Rajnath Singh even had chaired a meeting with all the Secretaries of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to review the progress on various schemes, projects, reforms and the way ahead in Juanuary.

In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor launched by India, the country’s defence budget is likely to get a boost of Rs 50,000 crore, reports citing “government sources” announced.

The increased budget is supposed to be used for research and development, besides the purchase of weapons and ammunition. A record Rs 6.81 lakh crore had also been set aside for the armed forces. This year’s allocation was already a significant 9.2 per cent increase from the Rs 6.22 lakh crore in 2024/25, according to reports.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the IAF ink pact

Meanwhile after the resounding success of the BrahMos-A air-launched cruise missile from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Su-30MKI fleet, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the IAF are moving ahead with plans to further expand this potent strike capability. As per information obtained by idrw.org, work will begin later this year to upgrade an additional 20 Su-30MKI fighters to be capable of carrying the 2.5-ton BrahMos-A missile.

With the planned upgrade of 20 more aircraft, the IAF will soon have 60 BrahMos-capable Su-30MKIs, enabling the formation of a third dedicated squadron for this role. The upgraded fighters will be modified to handle the aerodynamic stress and structural loads imposed by the heavy missile, which travels at Mach 2.8 and has a range of over 400 km.

According to the report, HAL is expected to begin modification work at its facilities later in 2025, with initial deliveries to the IAF anticipated by 2027. This will allow the IAF to raise a third Su-30MKI squadron dedicated to BrahMos-A operations, further bolstering India’s long-range precision strike capability.

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