Russia Likely To Purchase BrahMos-A Cruise Missiles For Its Su-30SM Fighters

The Russian armed forces are keen on purchasing the BrahMos cruise missiles that were developed jointly with India, for equipping its Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters.

Negotiations with the Russian side might begin in 2017 following the test completion of the Indian Su-30MKI fighters with the BrahMos missile, a military-diplomatic official told Tass news agency Wednesday.

“The new missile strike system, a plane plus a missile, will be first of all made operational with the Indian Air Force. After that the Russian Air Force, which is very interested, may buy the system,” the official said at the Army 2016 forum.

 The Indian Air Force fighter with a demonstrator of the BrahMos missile’s air-launched version performed the first flight in summer 2016. The first aircraft launches of the missile are expected to take place before the year end.

India plans to equip three regiments of the Su-30MKI fighters with the updated missiles. The Indian military currently have in service the missile’s ground and sea-launched versions. The Su-30SM multifunctional fighter is an upgrade of the export Su-30MKI version. It was improved in line with the Russian Defence Ministry’s requirements regarding the armaments, radar, communications, IFF transceiver systems and other equipment.

The first contracts on the supply of the Su-30SM fighters to the Russian army were concluded in 2012.

The Sukhoi Su-30 (Flanker-C) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.

The aircraft which is multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, started out as an internal development project in the Sukhoi Su-27 family by Sukhoi. The design plan was revamped and the name was made official by the Russian Defense Ministry in 1996.

The aircraft from the Flanker family, only the Su-27, Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 have been ordered into serial production by the Defense Ministry. All the others, such as Su-37, were prototypes. The Su-30 has two distinct version branches, manufactured by competing organizations: KnAAPO and the Irkut Corporation, both of which come under the Sukhoi group.