In an important development, the first fully overhauled Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) in Ojhar, Maharashtra on Friday.
The Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft was handed over to the IAF’s operational squadron by the Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of Nagpur-headquartered Maintenance Command of the IAF. The ceremony took place at Ojhar, Nashik, which is the hub for production of these aircraft in India.
“Established in 1974, the depot progressively built and improved the technical expertise and infrastructure over the years and by 1983 it had overhauled 100 Su-7 aircraft. From 1983 to 1988, the depot also undertook the overhaul of MiG-21 fighters. Later, overhaul facility for MiG-23 aircraft was set up in 1986 and 248 jets were overhauled till May 2015,” news agency PTI cited a defence spokesperson as saying.
The overhaul of Mig-29 fighter jets began in the year 1996, the upgradation of Mig-29s and repair and overhaul of Sukhois is being undertaken by the depot. “The first Su-30MKI overhauled by 11 BRD took off on April 24 and was tested for its airworthiness before being inducted for operational tasks in a flying squadron,” the spokesperson told PTI.
A twin multi-jet multirole fighter of the Indian Air Force, the aircraft is built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under licence production from Russia.
Notably, the 11 BRD is the only fighter aircraft repair depot of the IAF and undertakes the maintenance of fighter jets such as the Mig-29s and Sukhoi-30 MKIs.
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