In a major boost to the Indian Air Force's dwindling combat fleet availability, the Base Repair Depot of the IAF has started overhauling the Sukhoi-30 MKI. On Friday, Air Marshal Hemant Sharma, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Maintenance Command handed over the indigenously overhauled Su-30 MKI aircraft to the chief of southwestern air command Air Marshal H.S. Arora.
"In the history of 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) Ojhar, today (Friday) was a red-letter day when the first overhauled Su-30 MKI aircraft was handed over to the operational squadron of the Indian Air Force," said a defence official. Earlier, the first Su-30 MKI overhauled by this depot successfully took off on April 24 and has been flight-tested for its airworthiness, before inducting it for operational tasks at a flying squadron.
The IAF has a fleet of 272 Sukhoi fighter jets, making it the air force's frontline fighter jet. However, the availability of Sukhoi has been an issue for the IAF because at a given point of time only over 50 per cent of its entire fleet is available for combat missions. Remaining half of the Sukhoi fleet would either be undergoing repairs or grounded due to delay in supply of spare parts.
Similarly, the Ministry of Defence had informed a parliamentary panel that at any given point of time, only over half of the aircraft in the IAF inventory were in a state to fly. A large number of platforms would be usually grounded due to technical issues. It means that of over 700 fighter jets with the IAF, only 350 aircraft are in a state to carry on combat operations, on any given day. The IAF is already struggling with its depleting combat fleet, which has come down to 31 squadrons against the sanctioned 42 squadrons.
Earlier, the IAF used to send its fleet to HAL for overhauling or sometimes, to its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in Russia for upgrades.
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The Ojhar-based 11 BRD is the only fighter aircraft repair depot of the Indian Air Force and undertakes repair and overhaul of frontline fighters such as MIG-29 and Sukhoi-30 MKI. Established on 1974, the base repair depot progressively built and improved the technical expertise and infrastructure over the years and by 1983 it had overhauled 100 Su-7 aircraft.
According to an official, from 1983 to 1988, the depot also undertook overhaul of MIG-21 and production of 28 aircraft. Later, an overhaul facility for MIG-23 aircraft was set up in 1986 and 248 aircraft were overhauled till May 2015. Overhaul of MIG-29 aircraft commenced in the year 1996 and currently, the “upgradation of MIG-29” and Repair & Overhaul (ROH) at Su-30 MKI aircraft is being undertaken at the depot.
"In addition, 11 BRD is the only agency to undertake overhaul of ejection seats and role equipment of Su-30 MKI aircraft, both for IAF and HAL," an official added.