India’s Air Force is planning to increase the number of Su-30MKI fighters armed with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to 65, the Times of India newspaper reported with reference to the Air Force command.
As Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari said, there are plans to increase the number of Su-30MKI fighters being upgraded to carry BrahMos missiles from the originally planned 40 by another 20-25. They will be modernized at Indian enterprises.
According to him, the supplementary Su-30MKI planes will get a new-generation BrahMos missile with a range of 450 km (280 mi). As of today, the Indian Air Force has received 35 Su-30MKI fighters with the 290-km range BrahMos from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Corporation