Air Force gets the first Indian engine of fighter jet Sukhoi, know what is its specialty

New Delhi: Air Force has received the first engine of fighter jet Sukhoi made in India. On Tuesday, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over Sukhoi’s first engine ‘AL-31FP’ to the Air Force. Only last month, the Defense Ministry had signed a contract with HAL for the purchase of 240 aero engines for Sukhoi fighter jets. The total value of this agreement is more than Rs 26 thousand crores.

These ‘AL-31FP’ aero engines are being manufactured by Koraput Division of HAL. These aero engines will meet the operational capability requirement of the Sukhoi fleet of the Indian Air Force. It is noteworthy that for the last several decades, HAL’s Koraput division has been playing an important role in the maintenance and operation of MiG-21 and MiG-29 to Sukhoi. Now these modern engines are being made right here. As per the contract, HAL will supply 30 aero engines per year.

The Defense Ministry said that this important agreement worth more than Rs 26,000 crore has been signed, promoting ‘self-reliant India’. This agreement is for the engine of Sukhoi-30 MKI, the main fighter jet of the Indian Air Force. As per the agreement, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will manufacture 240 aero-engines (AL-31FP) of ‘Sukhoi-30 MKI’. The contract was signed by senior officials of the Defense Ministry and HAL in the presence of Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in Delhi on September 9.

Under this contract, the supply of all 240 aero engines will be completed by HAL over a period of next eight years. HAL will increase the indigenization content to 63 per cent to achieve an average of over 54 per cent in indigenous manufacturing. This will also help in promoting indigenous content in aero-engine repair.

It is noteworthy that on September 2, the Security Affairs Committee of the Union Cabinet had approved the proposal for the purchase of aero-engine for the Su-30 MKI aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Under this approval, there was a proposal to purchase 240 aero-engines from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. According to the Defense Ministry, this purchase is more than Rs 26 thousand crores including all taxes and duties. r

According to the Defense Ministry, these engines are made of 54 percent indigenous material. Some of its major components have been prepared in the country itself. These are being manufactured in the Koraput division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The SU-30 MKI is one of the most powerful and strategically important aircraft in the Indian Air Force fleet.