The Indian Air Force (IAF) is working to upgrade its fleet of Sukohi-30 MKI fighters with indigenous weapon systems and radar named Virupaaksha, sources informed India Today on Thursday( 19 October 2023)

• The IAF currently operates a fleet of more than 250 Sukohi-30MKI fighters.
• The Virupaaksha radar is being developed indigenously, keeping in view the requirements of IAF in different sectors and would be the most advanced one among all the Sukohi-30 variants being flown around the globe, the government sources said.
• The Indian Air Force has been working on a mission mode to indigenise the equipment in its inventory and looking to buy equipment from Indian firms worth over Rs three lakh crore in the near future, the government sources added.

SUKOHI-30MKI JETS

• The Su-30MKI is a multi-role air dominance fighter that can carry a versatile array of weapons including the Astra Mk-1 long-range air-to-air missile, Brahmos Air Launched missile, and an array of bombs, among others.
• It is a 4.5 generation aircraft that can carry out complex manoeuvres at both high speeds and low speeds, which includes the iconic vertical Charlie maneuver.