India’s Su-30MKI Fleet Affected As Russians Go Slow on Repair and Overhaul

The serviceability of India’s Su-30MKI aircraft have been affected due to the lack repair and overhaul (ROH) facilities that Rosoboronexport had agreed to set up but has not done so far.

According to a letter dated December 13, 2013 by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to Mr. M. Goncharenko, 1st Deputy Director General of Rosoboronexport, “All major contracts concerning the Su30 ROH project had been signed during 2009 for the supply of documents and equipment. Although 4 years have passed, the facilities are yet to be set up due to delay in Russian supplies.”

The letter, part of a set of documents leaked by the ‘Russian Cyber Command’, an anti-government hackers group, further states, “The delay in deputation of Russian specialists for aggregates is having further impact on the schedule. In the absence of Russian specialists, to meet the urgency HAL has done commissioning and mastering of 19 aggregates. Four aircraft have been inducted into HAL for overhaul and 15 more will fall due in the production year.”

The letter adds that this would have a cascading effect on demand of rotables as huge quantities of unserviceable aggregates are lying due for overhaul at various bases of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “Due to the non-availability of facilities for overhaul of aggregates, the serviceability of the Su-30MKI aircraft is slowly decreasing and demand for AOG (aircraft on ground) items is increasing.

The schedule of supplies and deputation of Russian specialists from OEMs other than IRKUT corp. have been repeatedly postponed by the Russian side and the progress on setting of facilities has been far from satisfaction of both HAL and IAF. It appears that ROE and IRKUT Corp., have limited control over these OEMS, the letter adds.

The letter points out that it had been agreed in 2013 that the Russians will take all out efforts to establish ROH facilities by December 2013 and overhaul the first aircraft by June 2014.

The full text of the letter can be seen here.