Opinion Could Reverse-Engineering the Su-30MKI Have Saved India Billions on Buying Expensive Foreign Fighter Jets Like Rafale?

India's defence procurement strategy has come under scrutiny, with the high cost of acquiring advanced fighter jets like the Rafale raising questions about whether alternative approaches could have saved billions.

Specifically, some experts argue that India missed an opportunity to leverage its existing fleet of Su-30MKI fighters by reverse-engineering and upgrading them, potentially reducing the need for expensive imports.

India invested $12 billion in acquiring 259 Su-30MKI fighters from Russia. These aircraft have proven to be a valuable asset, offering significant capabilities at a relatively affordable cost.

However, India's failure to fully capitalize on this platform for indigenous development has led to a continued reliance on expensive imports for next-generation aircraft, such as the Rafale, which is estimated to cost nearly double the Su-30MKI program for just 110 aircraft.

China's approach to its Russian-origin Su-30MKK and Su-30MKM fighters offers a contrasting example. Instead of relying solely on Russian support, China reverse-engineered these platforms to develop advanced fighters like the J-16 and J-15D, significantly enhancing its domestic aerospace capabilities.

Despite possessing a license-production agreement and extensive operational experience with the Su-30MKI, India has not fully exploited this platform for indigenous development.

Most upgrades, such as radar and sensors, still depend on Russian or Western technology. While the upcoming Super-Sukhoi upgrade will incorporate some Indian innovations, it is years away, while the IAF has been operating the Su-30MKI for over two decades.

Unlike China, India has not aggressively pursued reverse engineering or platform customization to meet its specific needs. This has resulted in a reliance on expensive imports like the Rafale instead of evolving the Su-30MKI into a more advanced, domestically produced variant.

While indigenous programs like the Tejas Mk2 and AMCA are crucial for India's long-term aerospace ambitions, leveraging existing platforms like the Su-30MKI for interim capabilities could have ensured greater continuity and reduced costs.

India could have explored joint ventures with countries like France or Israel to integrate cutting-edge systems into modified Su-30MKIs, similar to how China upgraded its fleet with domestic and foreign technologies.

India's heavy reliance on imports for advanced fighter technology reflects a missed opportunity to harness the full potential of platforms like the Su-30MKI.

By learning from China's reverse-engineering success, India can pursue a more cost-effective modernization strategy and develop indigenous capabilities that rival even the most advanced Russian and Western fighters.

This approach would not only reduce dependence on foreign suppliers but also strengthen India's position as a major player in the global aerospace industry.

 

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[Wolverine1984]

Is it possible that we do not have the required domain specific knowledge and/ expertise for the same? Reverse engineering does sound cool and logical but is also incredibly difficult to do if someone doesn't have both theoretical knowledge and on hands experience.

 

[sishir]

Our defense ministry official and IAF did all these delays. They went on many foreign trips and having a good time. They never thought of security of the country. IAF under every airmarshal only changed the goal post giving examples of changed security scenarios. They must all be booked as Donald is saying in USA.

 

[d3x]

When countries like china, Brazil or Israel can do why not India? Bcs of over Reliance on HAL and no support from defence ministry officials and IAF bosses. They want foreign jaunts and to be taken care.

 

[Mohitm]

Reverse engineering is for smart people. Smart are those who have saved billions of dollars for their countries spending on foreign technology and who have developed their own fifth generation engines.

 

[Devalis]

I feel the problem lies deeper.
It's at the INDIAN PEOPLE level....
When you elect wrong people they take either wrong decisions (wrong for the country, right for themselves) or DO NOT Care for the country.

China has a stable government for decades, it can take Strong decisions, can Implement those decisions FORCEFULLY. Their Courts DON'T Impede development in the name of NGT or likes.
In India 40-50% won't vote, 15-30% vote on Religious/Caste/Freebie lines, so we are left with hardly 25-30% of votes of progressive people.

Till 10 years back, Governments were formed on coalition model, where each coalition party needed to make BIG Money to stay relevant in the NEXT Elections (which comes sooner than later)...

Still, i feel country has progressed tremendously without killing/maiming lakhs of people(like China, just see their videos about COVID-19 cases being treated like DOGS...).
What we need is a resolute government whose functionaries are satiated and have a NATION FIRST attitude ....

 

[Luv India]

In India the only success story of government for that research is ISRO. That is because of the dedication of a few scientist headed by the respected professor Abdul Kalam. It shows what can be done in India if one person has the will to do it.

As for DRDO it has become an organisation which has been stuffed almost completely by the chamchas of those in power. Let it be taken over by the private sector who will promptly remove all the unproductive so called scientists and be replaced by the huge unemployed human potential staying out because they simply don't have the proper connections. Just see what privatization has been doing for the automobile industry.

 

[Hari Sud]

Reverse engineer and loose future support. That is why Chinese military and civil hardware is look alike but below par. India, long time back decided not to reverse engineer.

 

[PKPRS]

It is pathetic, we haven’t done even any sort of upgrades so far for so many years, no body knows how long it is going to take for Super-30 upgrade.

 

[MANIVANNAN N]

Western dependent mindset of indian scientist. Not confident in selfreliance.

 

[Anant]

Utterly incorrect figures as usual. India paid 1.46 billion USD for 50 Su-30MKIs in 1996 (2.94 billion in 2024), followed by 3.6 billion USD for 140 aircraft in 2000 (6.6 billion in 2024), followed again by 2.01 billion USD for 40 jets in 2007 (3.07 billion in 2024), and finally 4.3 billion USD for 42 jets in 2010 (6.22 billion in 2024). This is technically followed by the additional planned purchase of 12 airframes for 1.4 billion USD in 2023 (1.45 billion in 2024).

This comes to a grand total of 20.28 billion USD in today's money for 284 jets. Now, this figure includes very little munitions and spares, and practically no additional engines. Deals such as the one for 240 AL-31Fs for 3.1 billion USD are over and above this figure.

This puts the per unit cost (near barebones) at 71.42 million USD. Add in the modernisation cost to the Super Sukhoi program (63,000 crore INR for 84 jets, or 88.36 million USD per jet, and that takes the cost of a fully modernised Su-30MKI airframe to just shy of 160 million USD in barebones condition.

Even if one were to build a new Su-30MKI in Super Sukhoi configuration, the cost would be somewhere in the region of 135 million USD barebones per unit, as some of the equipment like the PESA radar would not be ordered, saving some money (assuming a ~20% price reduction).

Against this, you have the Rafale figure of 242.66 million USD in 2016 (319.15 million USD today) per unit. This figure included spares, ground infrastructure, munitions, training infrastructure, India-specific enhancements, etc.

Not saying if one is better than the other, but the actual cost is not that far away if you do the math.

 

[Aravind Raveendran]

This is a collective failure of the system. Reverse engineering seems to be a pariah in the Indian dictionary. Leave reverse engineering we didn't even work on indigenisation on a fair level even after having a so called licence production agreement for 22 years atleast they could have done this in the name of customisation. India and idiosyncrasy are synchronised upto a level that we could call ourselves the land of missed of opportunities.

 

[Anil]

Should have been started decades ago. Atleast now various private and public manufacturing initiatives in the defence sector are on.

 

[Sudha]

Western dependent mindset of indian scientist. Not confident in selfreliance.

Western mindset? Till 2014 it was only Russian. There is no western mindset of scientists. Remember long back had Bharat planned for nuke capability. If the US deep state had not assassinated Homi Baba, Bharat would have been a leading nuke power & weapons nations.