IAF Su-30MKI Aircraft To Get New Reconnaissance Pods

Indian Air Force Sukhoi fighter jets will be equipped with new reconnaissance pods under INR 3,000 crore proposal recently cleared, amid rising tensions with China and Pakistan.

The aircraft with new reconnaissance pods will help detect hardened terrorists in remote locations such as mountains and bunkers, India Today reports Thursday.

It can also identify bunkers built by the enemy in hidden terrain. The reconnaissance pods will help analyse suspected terrains where high value enemy assets or terrorists could be hiding and further locate the target and eliminate it.

The aircraft is already being upgraded for carrying the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which would be hitting targets in ranges up to 300 km.

It was reported last month that the Air Force is also planning to enhance the enemy detection capabilities with advanced radar like the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar which can help the IAF pilots to track enemy planes and target more effectively and at longer ranges.

The IAF has placed the orders for 272 Su-30MKIs from Russia in different batches and they have been deployed across the country at different locations in 12 squadrons.