India Equips 18 Sukhoi 30 MKI Jets With Second Hand AL-31FP Engines: Newspaper Report

India has fitted at least 18 of brand new Sukhoi 30 MKI with already-used and secondhand AL 31FP engines, compromising safety and capability of the country's frontline fighter aircraft besides posing risk to the life of pilots.

"It was noticed while checking the records…that AL 31FP engines fitted in certain aircraft was in Cat B condition at the time of inspection / delivery to Indian Air Force (IAF)," Deccan Chronicle reported today quoting an un-named report as its findings.

The IAF's frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI is a multipurpose twin-seater supersonic fighter aircraft which is powered by two AL-31FP aero engines.

While this fitment of Cat 2 (category B) or secondhand engines into brand new Sukhoi 30 MKIs was done at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) facility at Nashik.

"Without the knowledge and approval of the defence ministry, what is surprising is the acceptance of such aircraft by the IAF," said the report summarizing its findings. The daily did not mention the origin of the report. 

Certain aircraft with one new and one old engine were wrongly accepted by IAF and the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance. As these arrangements were not in tune with contractual provisions, it should have been rejected by IAF and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA).

In any case, IAF should have obtained approval from MoD for accepting aircraft with one second hand engine. India has about 230 operational fighters although just half is available for operational flights at any given point of time. Besides, About 7 Sukhoi 30 MKIs have crashed to date, resulting a loss of about Rs 2,350 crore.