India is strengthening its combat readiness with the procurement of 240 AL-31FP engines for its Su-30 MKI fighter jets in a INR2,600 billion (~$3.1 billion) deal. Locally manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited under a licensing agreement with Russia’s NPO Saturn, these engines will enhance operational capabilities, maintain low production costs, and address the technical and maintenance challenges, ensuring the Su-30 MKI fleet remains agile and combat-ready for high-altitude deployments, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s report, “The Global Military Aircraft Engines Market Forecast 2024-2034,”  reveals that India is expected to spend about $12.4 billion on the procurement of various types of engines for military fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned platforms over the next 10 years. Out of which, military-fixed wing aircraft engines are expected to account for about 77% share of the total funding.

Aamir Chowdry, Aerospace & Defence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “India’s acquisition of AL-31FP engines for its Su-30 MKI aircraft significantly boosts the Indian Air Force’s combat readiness, a critical factor in countering regional threats, particularly from China. With China’s deployment of its advanced J-20 fighters in high-altitude regions like Tibet and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), these engines will improve the availability rate of the Su-30 MKI fleet to respond swiftly to potential threats in high-altitude and strategically sensitive areas.”

As threats of prolonged military standoffs and border tensions increase and given the possibility of a two-front war with China and Pakistan, this procurement allows India to maintain rapidly deployable aerial assets in the region.

Over the past decade, the AL-31FP engines have undergone significant improvements, enhancing their thrust vectoring capabilities. This has made the Su-30 MKI fighter jet highly agile and manoeuvrable in combat situations, allowing it to perform effective aerial manoeuvres and maintain its air superiority role.

Chowdry concludes: “As China encircles India through its ‘String of Pearls’ strategy by expanding military and commercial infrastructure near India’s borders and key maritime routes, it increasingly threatens India’s security at strategic chokepoints and sea lines of communication. With the procurement of AL-31FP engines, India not only ensures that its Su-30 MKI fleet remains combat-ready but also gains greater flexibility in projecting airpower in high-altitude regions such as Ladakh and Tibet in the north, as well as along its maritime borders in the Indian Ocean to the south. Furthermore, with Pakistan’s increasing military collaboration with China, like the co-development of the JF-17 aircraft, it is essential for India to maintain an aircraft capable of conducting deep strikes or air defence missions over long distances, which is crucial in a two-front war scenario.”

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