India will have a new Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft squadron based in Thanjavur in the
state of Tamil Nadu which is in the south of India
Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria of Indian Air Force stated, "In Thanjavur, we are forming
a new Su-30 squadron that will primarily have a maritime role.
They will be the part of southern air command and will add huge capacity from the point
of view of operational capability."
He added, "It will also have offensive and defensive roles “
IAF tweeted "#Resurrection: 222 Sqn 'The Tigersharks' got resurrected today with state of the art
Su-30 MKI Multirole Fighter aircraft.
Raised on 15 Sep 69 with Su-7, the Sqn was later equipped with #MiG27 Ground Attack Aircraft
prior to getting numberplated in 2011.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be present for the induction ceremony which will take
place on 20th January.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why India’s new Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter squadron
armed with Brahmos will be one of the biggest deterrence against the Chinese Navy?
Let’s get started.
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China has stepped up its underwater forays in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), especially
in the Bay of Bengal.
The frequency of submarine patrols by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has
increased significantly in the last few years.
Chinese ships have often been spotted gathering information in the Bay of Bengal.
This indicates that China wants to expand its sphere of influence in these waters like
it has done in the South China Sea.
Chinese Navy has been expanding fast and its warships are getting better.
Its latest class of destroyer, Type 055 is an example of China’s growing naval might.
Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the backbone of the Indian Air Force and it has around 200 of these.
It is a twin-seater, twin-engine fighter, developed by Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi
and license-built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-35 with which it shares many features and components.
Su-30MKI is a multirole fighter capable of executing both air to air and air to land
attack missions.
It is interesting to note is that the MKI version of Su-30 includes Israeli and French
avionics.
For example, the aircraft is fitted with a French-made heads-up display system and Israeli’s
made electronic warfare system and an advanced targeting pod.
A squadron of Su-30MKI will consist of 18 fighters.
Brahmos is developed jointly by India's Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO)
and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
It is powered by a Ramjet engine.
Brahmos is currently considered to be one of the most deadly cruise missiles in the
world.
The reason is its unique features.
1.
It has a supersonic speed of Mach 3 or 1 km per second providing very little time to intercept.
2.
BrahMos uses a 300 kg or 660 lbs Semi-Armor piercing warhead and also has very high Kinetic
energy since Kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of velocity.
BrahMos actually has about 9 times the Kinetic Energy of conventional subsonic missiles like
Tomahawk.
The combined destructive force of massive warhead and kinetic energy is lethal for even
the biggest surface warships & bunkers.
Brahmas has been known to break ships in half in several tests.
3.
It can perform S maneuvers in the final stages of flight.
The missile basically doesn’t move in a straight line, making it very hard to intercept.
4.
There are lots of redundancies in the guidance system - right from the INS, GPS, GLONASS
and GAGAN making it hard to jam.
5.
The accuracy of around 1 square meter makes it apt for a precision strike on high-value
targets.
BrahMos-A (Air) is a modified variant of its basic configuration and specifically designed
for air launch.
It features several design refinements, which include a lighter propulsion system, weight
reduction to 5500 lb (2500 kg) from 6600 lb (3000 kg), as well as redesigned fins and
nose cap.
In January 2014, IAF placed an order to HAL for the integration of the Brahmos onto the
Su-30 MKI.
Though BrahMos-A is lighter than original BrahMos, it is still a heavy missile and integration
with a fighter aircraft was met with many technical challenges, some of which are listed
as follows:
1.
A key task was to strengthen the Su-30 MKI's airframe, particularly its underbelly weapons
station.
New hardpoints and structural modifications were required.
2.
Since the Brahmos protrudes beyond the Su-30 MKI's air intakes, it was imperative to ascertain
that it did not impede the flow of air into the fighter's engines.
This was achieved through computational fluid dynamics modeling.
3.
New cockpit controls had to be added for pilots so that they can use it while launching the
Brahmos.
On June 25, 2016, a modified Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft carried a BrahMos-A.
This was the first time in the world that such a heavyweight supersonic cruise missile
was integrated on a fighter aircraft.
In May last year, BrahMos-A was successfully test-fired from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI
Sukhoi-30 MKI has a combat radius of 800 miles or around 1300 km, which can be extended with
mid-air refueling or using disposable fuel pods.
BrahMos has a range of 185 miles or 300 km.
So, the strike envelop of the combo is almost 1000 miles or around 1600 km which means the
Chinese warships will be threatened from long distances.
But his is not it, there is more to the story.
India is now a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which effectively gives
it a free hand in developing or importing long-range missiles from other countries.
Before this Russia could not help or jointly develop a missile with a none MTCR nation
like India, whose range is more than 300 km.
This is why the Brahmos range had to be limited below 300 km initially.
India and Russia have decided to double the range of BrahMos missile from existing 185
miles (300 km) to 370 miles (600 km).
Russian President Putin had stated sometime back, “We have agreed to improve the BrahMos
missile, which will be land, air and sea-launched.
We will also work to increase its range.”
As per most strategic experts, the range enhancement will require only minor changes in software
and hardware.
It is a widely accepted fact that BrahMos always had the ability of much greater range,
it is that now it will be unlocked.
Individually, the Su-30 MKI and BrahMos are powerful weapons.
But when one of the world’s most capable 4+ generation fighter is armed with a uniquely
destructive cruise missile, together they are a dramatic force multiplier.
Indian Air Force fighters will be able to launch Brahmos from far away and turn back
to safety while the missile flies on to do the destruction.
Chinese warships could be targeted from different directions by multiple fighters launching
Brahmos simultaneously.
Since the missile is very fast and is maneuverable, it will be almost impossible to intercept.
China has no defense against BrahMos, the fact is that even the United States military
with all its advanced technologies will find this missile very hard to intercept.
Hence, it can be concluded that Su-30 MKI armed with BrahMos will create a unique challenge
for the Chinese Navy.