With focus on Indian Ocean, IAF stations Su-30 squadron in Tamil Nadu – india news

India on Monday upgraded its capabilities to keep a watch on the strategically important Indian Ocean Region and deliver an offensive option swiftly, if necessary, with the Indian Air Force basing its front-line Sukhoi-30 fighters in southern India for the first time.

With China’s footprint in the Indian Ocean growing at a rapid pace, the air force raised a new squadron of Su-30 MKI fighter jets at the Thanjavur air force station in Tamil Nadu. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Defence Research and Development Organisation chief G Satheesh Reddy attended the ceremony.

The fighters are equipped with the air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a 2.5-tonne missile that flies at nearly three times the speed of sound.

The missile — the fastest in the world — will provide the air force the capability to strike sea and land targets from stand-off ranges with pinpoint accuracy in all weather conditions.

The No. 222 squadron, nicknamed Tigersharks, has been raised with six fighter planes and is expected to have its full complement of 18 jets by the year-end. It is the air force’s second fighter squadron in south India after the No. 45 ‘Flying Daggers’ squadron at Sulur, which is also in Tamil Nadu. The No. 45 squadron is equipped with India’s first LCA Tejas Mk.1 fighters.

During his address at the ceremony, General Rawat said that Su 30 MKI aircraft along with the BrahMos will be the game-changer which will extensively enhance the security of the Maritime domain.

Emphasising on the location of the induction, IAF chief Bhadauria said Thanjavur was chosen as the base because of its strategic location. Bhadauri also complimented the Southern Air Command and all personnel of AFS Thanjavur for their efforts towards advancing the induction of the squadron by almost a year.

The IAF operates Su-30s from bases scattered across the country including Adampur, Halwara, Sirsa, Bareilly, Pune, Tezpur and Chabua.

Experts said the deployment was a significant step towards safeguarding the country’s interests in the Indian Ocean region, where Chinese warships are frequently sighted and tracked by the Indian Navy.

“The requirement of having an air-delivered kinetic offensive option at quick notice could not be neglected. A permanent availability of air power in the Indian Ocean has now been made up to some extent with the basing of the Sukhois at Thanjavur,” said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

“BrahMos-armed Su-30 fighter jets will be a game changer for future air operations,” BrahMos Aerospace CEO Sudhir Mishra told HT on Monday.

India first launched the BrahMos from a specially modified Su-30 warplane against a target in the Bay of Bengal in 2017, followed by a second launch in 2019.