Sukhoi-30 MKI squad stationed at Tamil Nadu to keep eye on Indian Ocean Region

 

 

 

Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat in the presence of top officials including Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria inducted the 'Tigersharks' squadron of Sukhoi 30 MKI jets integrated with the BrahMos cruise missiles at the Thanjavur air force station in Tamil Nadu.

Given the Su-30s’ maritime strike capability and equipped with the supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles having a range of over 300 km, the IAF has made this move with an eye on the increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Air chief Bhadauria said the decision to deploy the Su-30 MKIs at Thanjavur was taken due to its strategic location.

The Su-30s have a range of about 1,500 km which now comes equipped with the 2.5-tonne air-launched BrahMos that flies at nearly three times the speed of sound, with the capability to strike sea and land targets from stand-off ranges with pinpoint accuracy in all weather conditions.

The Tiger Sharks squadron will eventually have 18 fighters, about six of which will be equipped with BrahMos.