India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is restarting production of the russian-origin Su-30MKI fighter. The first newly built aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2027–2028.
According to The Economic Times, India plans to build a total of 12 aircraft by 2029. The jets were ordered in December 2024 under a contract worth approximately $1.3 billion to replace aircraft lost in accidents. More than 50% of the required components are expected to be manufactured in India.
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Production will take place at HAL’s facility in Nashik, which previously built 222 Su-30MKIs under a russian license. It is quite possible that the same facility will also carry out the planned modernization of India’s existing fleet under the Super Sukhoi program.
Defense Express notes that the last Su-30MKI rolled off the production line in Nashik in 2020. This did not mean the facility stopped producing fighter aircraft, however, as it also operates a separate production line for India’s indigenous Tejas fighter.
Under the current plans, roughly three to four years will pass between the contract and delivery of the first aircraft, while all 12 fighters are expected to be completed within five years. These are relatively slow production rates compared with the Rafale, but that is understandable given the need to restart the production line. In total, seven to eight years will have passed between the end of the previous production run and delivery of the new aircraft.
Restarting production should help maintain the manufacturing capacity in Nashik and develop local supply chains as India increases the level of domestic content. This could support future upgrades of the Su-30MKI fleet and provide valuable experience for the development of India’s fifth-generation AMCA fighter.
At the same time, it is important to clarify that although the 12 new Su-30MKIs will have a higher level of localization, they will not be built to the Super Sukhoi standard. Nor will 12 aircraft be enough to replace all the Su-30MKIs India has lost in accidents, as the number of such losses has already reached 14.
Increasing the use of Indian-made components could also improve the availability of the russian-designed fighters. Western sanctions against Russia have created serious difficulties with the supply of russian spare parts.
However, some components will still have to come from russia. This will provide the Kremlin’s defense industry with an additional source of revenue and help keep russian production facilities running.
russia has also offered to modernize India’s Su-30MKIs at russian facilities, although no final decision has been announced so far. Overall, russia and India continue to maintain close defense cooperation. At least for now, however, New Delhi has declined to purchase the Su-57, instead prioritizing its own fifth-generation fighter program, AMCA.
India currently operates several types of fighter aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, Tejas, MiG-29 in both carrier-based and land-based versions, Mirage 2000, Rafale in both carrier-based and land-based variants, and the SEPECAT Jaguar. In addition to developing its own fifth-generation fighter, India also plans to participate with France in the development of a sixth-generation aircraft
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