Archive · 18 Sep 2026
India's Super Sukhoi Upgrade Aims to Keep Fighters Lethal
India has many Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets that have been flying for about 20 years.
Instead of replacing all of them, India wants to rebuild their important internal systems.
The upgraded planes will receive a new Indian radar called Virupaksha.
They will also get better computers, displays, and systems for protecting themselves from electronic attacks.
New materials may make the planes harder for enemy radar to detect.
The aircraft will be able to use Astra missiles and BrahMos cruise missiles.
India hopes the upgrades will keep the fighters useful into the 2050s.
The first phase includes about 84 planes and could cost ₹65,000 crore.
Some performance figures are still program claims and have not yet been proven during flight testing.
India plans to modernize its Sukhoi-30MKI fleet through the Super Sukhoi, or Super 30, program.
The upgrade will replace the Russian Bars radar with India’s Virupaksha AESA radar.
New mission computers, displays, sensor fusion, electronic warfare systems, and radar-absorbent materials are planned.
Upgraded aircraft are expected to carry Astra air-to-air missiles and BrahMos cruise missiles.
The first phase covers about 84 aircraft and is valued at roughly ₹65,000 crore, but key performance claims remain unproven in flight.
- Who
- The Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and Indian engineers are involved.
- What
- India is upgrading Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets under the Super Sukhoi, or Super 30, program.
- When
- The Virupaksha radar completed its first power-on test in February 2026; deliveries are targeted for mid-2027, flight trials from early 2028, and the first 84 upgraded jets after 2030.
- Where
- The work is being conducted in India.
- Why
- The upgrade is intended to keep the aircraft effective against stealth fighters, long-range missiles, and electronic warfare threats without waiting for an entirely new fighter.
- Aircraft fleet
- Around 260 Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft serve in the Indian Air Force.
- Program names
- Super Sukhoi and Super 30.
- New radar
- Virupaksha, an Indian AESA radar with roughly 2,400 gallium-nitride modules.
- Reported radar range
- About 300–400 kilometers against fighter-sized targets and up to about 200 kilometers against a very small stealth-type aircraft.
- First phase
- Approximately 84 aircraft.
- Estimated value
- Roughly ₹65,000 crore.
- Planned weapons
- Astra air-to-air missiles and BrahMos cruise missiles.