The Daily Populous Sunday July 14th, 2024 night edition
Authored by meta-defense.fr and submitted by Consistent-Figure820

With 259 Su-30MKIs in service, and twelve on order, India is today the largest international operator of modern Russian-designed fighters, and the only one to have obtained authorization from Moscow to assemble one locally. of the most modern fighters in the Russian air arsenal.

It is the Indian aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, which assembles the Su-30MKI for the Indian air forces, and which carries out maintenance and upgrades, to integrate, in particular, locally designed or imported equipment. , whether missiles, avionics or HMI interface.

While the Russian military industry is fully mobilized in support of the special military operation in Ukraine, and in the face of American CAATSA legislation, Russian exports, particularly in the field of combat aircraft, have come to a halt. net since 2018.

It is in this context that HAL announced that discussions have been initiated with the Russian authorities, to enable it to offer, for export, the Su-30MKI assembled by it. Not sure, however, that this initiative will be to the taste of the United States...

Russian-Indian agreement to export Su-30MKI assembled in India

According to the website FinancialExpress.com, HAL has, in fact, started discussions with the Russian authorities, within the framework of the contract relating to the local manufacturing and maintenance of the fleet of Indian Air Force Su-30MKI.

With 259 aircraft in service, the Su-30MKI today represents the backbone of the Indian Air Force

These negotiations are part of the extended cooperation agreement, signed by Narendra Modi, on the occasion of his official visit to Moscow, held this week in Russia. The Indian Prime Minister and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, notably published a joint statement marking "the absence of divergence" between Russian and Indian positions, which will not fail to interest New Delhi's American and European partners. , as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

It must be said that New Delhi draws many advantages from Russia's relative weakness on the international scene. Not only can India massively import Russian raw materials and equipment, including military equipment, but trade is carried out directly in rubles and rupees, without going through the American dollar or the European Euro.

Thus, trade between the two countries has increased by 60% in 2023 alone, compared to 2022, to reach $57 billion, and the first months of 2024 confirm the trend, with a further increase of 23%. Downside, Moscow accumulates Indian rupees, $1 billion per month, without having the opportunity to spend them.

Negotiations between HAL and UAC, the parent company of Sukhoi, are being held at the Nashik site, where Russian fighters are assembled, and aim, in particular, to allow HAL to offer the Su-30MKI, assembled in India, on the export market.

An addressable market considered promising by the aircraft manufacturer HAL

For HAL, an aircraft manufacturer 71% owned by the Indian state, such an agreement would support the group's growth on the international scene, and position itself, from now on, as a player in the global combat aircraft market. , while HAL Tejas has failed to convince so far, despite the numerous efforts of the industrialist and the Indian state.

HAL is struggling to export its Tejas on the international scene. The Su-30 could represent, in this case, an alternative to position itself on the world market.

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Agitated-Airline6760 on July 13rd, 2024 at 16:43 UTC »

No one is buying Russian jets. Why would anyone besides DPRK buy Indian knockoff of Russian jets??

Consistent-Figure820 on July 13rd, 2024 at 15:22 UTC »

SS: With 259 Su-30MKIs in service, and twelve on order, India is today the largest international operator of modern Russian-designed fighters, and the only one to have obtained authorization from Moscow to assemble one locally. of the most modern fighters in the Russian air arsenal. It is the Indian aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, or HAL, which assembles the Su-30MKI for the Indian air forces, and which carries out maintenance and upgrades, to integrate, in particular, locally designed or imported equipment. , whether missiles, avionics or HMI interface. While the Russian military industry is fully mobilized in support of the special military operation in Ukraine, and in the face of American CAATSA legislation, Russian exports, particularly in the field of combat aircraft, have come to a halt. net since 2018. It is in this context that HAL announced that discussions have been initiated with the Russian authorities, to enable it to offer, for export, the Su-30MKI assembled by it. Not sure, however, that this initiative will be to the taste of the United States.