1st BrahMos-armed Sukhoi squad to guard Indian Ocean Region

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 20

Adding teeth to air and maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean Region, India on Monday inducted the BrahMos missile-equipped Sukhoi 30-MKI fighter jets at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, mandating it for a sea role.

The formal induction was done under the re-raised 222 Squadron — The Tigersharks — of the IAF. Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, said the resurrection of the “Tigersharks” highlighted the integration and jointness which was the future of the IAF.

“Sukhoi 30-MKI aircraft along with the BrahMos will be the game changer, which will extensively enhance the security of the maritime domain,” he added.

The squadron will be operating closely with the Indian Army and Navy to “get the ball rolling” in jointness of the IAF, opined Gen Rawat.

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, IAF Chief, said the induction had been advanced by almost a year.

The Russian-origin Sukhoi’s will be mandated for a maritime role. In lay parlance, the jets can be used for sea strikes using the BrahMos missile. So far, the IAF had been using the Jaguar for a sea role. The range of the Sukhoi is far greater and is capable of carrying the air version of the BrahMos, which weighs 2.5 tonnes.

The IAF will have the only air-launched supersonic weapon of its kind in the world that can be fired from an air platform at a target at sea. The BrahMos has a minimum range of 290 km. The Sukhoi 30-MKI has a flight radius of some 1,000 km extendable by mid-air re-fuelling.