We Rule the Skies with Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs, declares Indian Air Force.

NewDelhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) and its fighting machines like the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29UPGs, Mirage-2000s, Jaguars and the indigenous Tejas Ligh Combat Aircraft strike terror in the hearts of enemies. The force on Friday tweeted a photo of its fighter pilots in a Sukhoi aircraft with the caption “We Rule the Skies Indian Air Force Fighter Pilots on a mission in their state of the art Sukhoi-30 MKI”, which soon went viral with several people liking and retweeting the same.

The tweet also shows the fighter pilot and his co-pilot giving thumbs-up sign in their combat jet. The Su-30MKI, codenamed Flanker-H by the United States of America-led NATO, is a twinjet, multirole air superiority, heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter of the IAF.

There are over 250 Su-30MKIs in the IAF arsenal and the force will finally operate 272 such jets. While the jet is configured to carry one 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 autocannon along with 8,130 kilogrammes of external armament including missiles and bombs on its 12 hardpoints, the IAF is modifying 42 Su-30MKIs to launch the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. IAF’s lethality will increase manifolds once the modified Su-30MKIs capable of launching BrahMos missiles join the service.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will oversee the induction ceremony of Su-30MKIs with BrahMos missiles in the 222 Squadron (Tigersharks) on January 20. With the capability to strike targets over the vast seas surrounding India’s western, eastern and southern coasts, the Tigersharks will help the country maintain a tight vigil over strategically important Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Tigersharks Squadron was raised on September 15, 1969, with Su-7 fighters and later flew the MiG-27 jets.

With the French Rafale jets also in the process of joining the IAF, the force will become the undisputed ruler of the skies in Asia. Su-30MKI and Rafale combination will give unparalleled muscle to the IAF in comparison to its adversaries particularly the Pakistani Air Force and China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Bureau Report