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In a major capability boost for the Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry is taking up a proposal to modify the Su-30 MKI aircraft to integrate them with the Russian-origin RVV BD air-to-air missile that can take out enemy targets at 300 kilometres at high speed in the air.
The proposal is being taken up for consideration by the Defence Ministry just a few days before tha arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the BRICS meeting, and many important defence deals are likely to be discussed between the two sides. The proposal to modify the Su-30 MKI aircraft to be integrated with RVV BD missiles is expected to be taken up for clearance at the meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council scheduled to be held today, defence sources told ANI. The Russian side has many versions of the RVV BD missiles that can hit targets like Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and other spy planes in the air at hypersonic speeds of around 6 Mach. The Defence Ministry, led by Rajnath Singh, has been working to upgrade the air-to-air weaponry of the Indian Air Force with a focus on both indigenous as well as foreign routes. The Defence Research and Development Organisation has been focusing on and fast-tracking work on the variants of existing and future variants of the Astra air-to-air missiles, which would be able to hit targets up to 300 plus kms. India has also placed huge orders for acquiring the Meteor air-to-air missiles from France. The Su-30 MKI, which is being modified or upgraded to be equipped with the RVV BD missiles are the mainstay of the Indian Air Force, as there are over 260 of them in service. India is also working on two separate projects for modernising the fleet, after which they would be at an advanced level and would be able to see and strike at longer distances than before. The planes played a major role in Operation Sindoor, where they destroyed multiple Pakistani air bases with their long-range air-to-ground payloads, including the BrahMos air-launched missiles and the Rampage. DAC is also taking up a project to overhaul the Su-30 MKI aircraft at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited along with the AL-31 engines. HAL is also likely to get a significant order for the ALH Mark 3 choppers. (ANI)
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