Sukhois to pack Russian 'AWACS killer', Navy to build own warship engines in Rs 1.1L crore buy

NEW DELHI: Forty Su-30MKIs will be overhauled and modified to fire Russia's heavy R-37M long-range air-to-air missile, giving the Indian Air Force a dedicated weapon against high-value airborne targets like AWACS aircraft and aerial refuellers, under a Rs 1.1 lakh crore military buy cleared by the defence ministry on Monday. The package also clears development of an indigenous 24-28 MW marine gas turbine for the Navy's warships.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, accorded "Acceptance of Necessity" (AoN) to the proposals, with the ministry saying around 98% of the procurement by value will come from Indian industry. AoNs are only the first stage, with technical evaluations, trials and negotiations still ahead. Major acquisitions then require the necessary government approvals, including from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), before induction.

For the Indian Air Force (IAF), the DAC cleared "various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports and helicopters". Sources said this includes the overhaul of 40 Su-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), twice the number the PSU had earlier proposed. The IAF operates around 260 Su-30MKIs, its mainstay fighter fleet, with the council having cleared the overhaul of Su-30 aero-engine aggregates in March.

The approval seeks to address a gap in the IAF’s long-range beyond-visual-range (BVR) capability, with Operation Sindoor underscoring the requirement. The overhaul covers modifications to allow the Sukhois to fire the RVV-BD, the export version of Russia’s R-37M. Weighing 510 kg and carrying a 60-kg warhead, the missile has a declared range of 200 km and is designed to engage AWACS aircraft, aerial refuellers and other high-value airborne assets critical to an adversary’s air campaign.

The indigenous Astra Mk-2, still undergoing development trials, is a much lighter fighter-to-fighter BVR missile, weighing around 155 kg and carrying a 15-kg warhead, with a comparable claimed range. The difference in size and warhead weight reflects their distinct roles: the R-37M is designed to deliver a heavy punch against large, high-value aircraft at long range, while the Astra Mk-2 is intended primarily for engagements between fighter aircraft.

The IAF also got a ground-based multi-purpose jammer that "will provide effective jamming against radars of adversaries", the ministry said.

For the Navy, the DAC cleared the design, development and subsequent procurement of a marine gas turbine in the 24-28 MW class, with the ministry saying the propulsion system "will reduce dependency on foreign vendors". India currently imports turbines for several frontline destroyers and frigates.

Sources said the programme is likely to go the Make-I route of the Defence Acquisition Procedure, under which the government funds indigenous design and development and can meet up to 70% of prototype cost. It could involve Rs 4,000-5,000 crore, with four prototypes planned and a minimum requirement of around 40 engines.

The Navy will also get Arudhra radars, which "will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various Naval Air Stations". Developed by DRDO, Arudhra is a four-dimensional active phased-array radar with an instrumented range of 400 km, able to detect a two-square-metre target at up to 300 km.

The Army gets more HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopters or Dhruv, to "execute complex missions across all terrains and operational situations,”. Earlier, a Rs 8,073 crore deal for 34 ALH Mk-III was signed with HAL in March 2024.

Also cleared were high-mobility vehicles to "enhance operational capabilities, logistic support and mobility in challenging terrains", chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance vehicles "capable of detecting, identifying, monitoring and marking of areas contaminated with CBRN agents", self-propelled mechanical mine layers for "fast and responsive minelaying", and trawl tanks and the Sarvatra bridge system for "composite crossings to fighting formations during operations".