IAF Sees Izdeliye 177S Engine as True Generational Replacement for Su-30MKI's AL-31FP, Eclipsing Incremental AL-41F Option

IAF Sees Izdeliye 177S Engine as True Generational Replacement for Su-30MKI's AL-31FP, Eclipsing Incremental AL-41F Option


The Indian Air Force (IAF) is evaluating a new-generation Russian jet engine as a transformative upgrade for its Su-30MKI fleet, which forms the backbone of its combat aircraft wing.

The engine, known as Izdeliye 177S, was presented by Russia's United Engine Corporation (UEC) at the Aero India 2025 exhibition.

While initially offered for India’s future fifth-gen AMCA fighter program, the engine has captured the IAF's attention for its potential to significantly enhance the capabilities of the more than 270 Su-30MKI jets currently in service.

A key advantage of the Izdeliye 177S is its seamless compatibility with the Su-30MKI airframe. The aircraft is currently equipped with the AL-31FP engine.

According to the specifications provided, the new 177S engine shares identical dimensions and weight with its predecessor. This allows for a direct replacement without needing costly and time-consuming structural modifications to the aircraft, a critical factor for any large-scale fleet upgrade.

The performance differences between the two engines are substantial.

The Izdeliye 177S delivers a maximum thrust of 14,500 kgf, a significant increase over the 12,500 kgf produced by the current AL-31FP. This boosts the aircraft's thrust-to-weight ratio from 8.2:1 to 9.5:1, promising enhanced agility and combat performance.

Furthermore, the new engine boasts a service life of 6,000 hours, triple that of the AL-31FP, and features lower specific fuel consumption, which would translate to reduced operational costs and greater combat range.

Adding to its modern design, the 177S includes a thrust vectoring control (TVC) nozzle treated with stealth coatings to reduce the aircraft's radar and infrared signatures, improving its survivability in modern combat scenarios.

This technological advantage sets it apart from the previously considered AL-41F engine, which powers Russia's Su-35 fighters.

For years, the AL-41F was viewed as a potential replacement, but the IAF was unconvinced. Despite offering a modest 16% thrust increase, it was seen as an evolutionary, not revolutionary, step and failed to justify the investment required for a major fleet-wide upgrade.

Complicating matters, integrating the AL-41F would have necessitated modifications to the Su-30MKI's airframe, adding cost and complexity to the project.

With plans for the Su-30MKI fleet to remain a core asset of India's air defence until 2060, the IAF is focused on long-term capability. The Izdeliye 177S aligns with this vision, offering a genuine generational leap in performance.

However, sources familiar with the discussions highlight significant risks. The engine has not yet achieved operational status, and Russia currently lacks a major domestic program to absorb it in large numbers.

This raises concerns about its production maturity and scale, suggesting India might need to co-invest in the final stages of its development and certification to integrate it onto the Su-30MKI.

In conclusion, the Izdeliye 177S engine presents the Indian Air Force with a compelling opportunity to revitalize its Su-30MKI fleet, equipping it with performance metrics comparable to next-generation aircraft. The potential gains in power, efficiency, and survivability are clear.

Yet, this opportunity is balanced by the strategic gamble of investing in a technologically advanced but unproven system that may require substantial Indian financial and technical participation to see it through to full-scale production.
 
All this makes sense, but the old engines do work, so why not fit them in UCAV ghatak, so get two birds in one shot.
 
India & Russia should fit this engine in one Su30Mki in India and carry out full trials in our tropical weather climate.

A successful trials program result could be the basis for acquisition of the new engines for IAF .
 
Appreciate the deeper play - Su-57 along with this engine is what serves massive ramificational stimuli to stimulus ends for 🇮🇳 sinews exponentially. The focus has to shift towards multi-domain and multi-site domination, notably across Indian Ocean chokes and anticipated escalatory cycles. This engine is a harbinger to elusive factor normalization. Hope Sevak walks the path. Win-win, India must encourage Russia to evolve and remain relevant.
 
I was the first to say that the IAF should consider the AL-51 derivative instead of the AL-31 for the Super Sukhoi upgrade. Even Safran is making improvements in the M88-TREX engine, which is going to deliver 18% more thrust. For a long time, I have been saying, almost 1,000 times, that the AL-51 derivative engine is needed for the Super Sukhoi for carrying heavy weapons and modern avionics sensors like the Virupaksha AESA Radar.
 
The proper upgrade of Su-30MKI can't occur without a proper engine upgrade, but go for AL-51.
 
While it will no doubt be an improvement over the AL-31, the engine is basically still on paper with no clear path for development without any export order. Price and development costs should be expected if we decide to go for it, with an uncertain timeline. Just retrofitting engines to existing airframes will not be a good choice, since we have ample experience with the AL-31. However, if we decide to restart the Su-30 production to maintain a sizable force of 4.5+ generation heavy aircraft, then it would be logical to go for the engine.
 
While it will no doubt be an improvement over the AL-31, the engine is basically still on paper with no clear path for development without any export order. Price and development costs should be expected if we decide to go for it, with an uncertain timeline. Just retrofitting engines to existing airframes will not be a good choice, since we have ample experience with the AL-31. However, if we decide to restart the Su-30 production to maintain a sizable force of 4.5+ generation heavy aircraft, then it would be logical to go for the engine.
It's mostly developed; what's pending is testing and validation. Also, it shouldn't take as much time as Kaveri requires, as they have in-house testing facilities and huge experience with engines. Hopefully, we collaborate and see if some version of it can also power AMCA instead of a GE engine until Kaveri 2.0 is completed.
 
Choose an engine which gives material independence. We can forge and machine. Need material science and coating science. GE414 will give forging, machining, and coating technology; therefore, you will not require material technology.
 
Any Russian tech we need to import has to have close to half a decade of service record. Else, you are just gambling with it. Russian defence corporations have regressed unimaginably, and their certifications of new techs are as good as a joke. This engine requires certification and the limited series production... Quite sure Russians are not going to achieve that in the next 5 years, let alone full production.
Then which engine should be used in Su-30 MKI according to you?

AL-31 can't go on till 2050; today or tomorrow, we need better engines for Su-30s. Russia also upgraded their Su-30s with AL-41, and AL-51 is also ready, and 117S is the combination of AL-41 and AL-51 parts.

Whatever Russia is going to achieve, they will achieve much faster than anything India will try to build.
 
177S engine is better than AL-41 for Su-30 upgradation, not for AMCA. It has better features like more thrust, fuel efficiency, long life, and a stealth TVC nozzle.
 
While Russia has made a lot of progress in developing modern jet engines we have to look at any upgrade very carefully.

In any engine deal we will have to make sure that they transfer a lot of the critical technology to us, we will need the price to be affordable and what part or how much do we get to manufacture from Indian raw materials.

The current AL-31 is partly manufactured indigenously and we have setup a MRO facility. We have created an entire new ecosystem that’s centred around that engine. By now we have made certain engine changes to improve its performance and we can repair them with indigenously manufactured spares, components, technology or parts.
 
I was the first to say that the IAF should consider the AL-51 derivative instead of the AL-31 for the Super Sukhoi upgrade. Even Safran is making improvements in the M88-TREX engine, which is going to deliver 18% more thrust. For a long time, I have been saying, almost 1,000 times, that the AL-51 derivative engine is needed for the Super Sukhoi for carrying heavy weapons and modern avionics sensors like the Virupaksha AESA Radar.
true, 177s need modification in the airframe, so this must be evaluated seriously, along with R37 long range.
 
It's mostly developed; what's pending is testing and validation. Also, it shouldn't take as much time as Kaveri requires, as they have in-house testing facilities and huge experience with engines. Hopefully, we collaborate and see if some version of it can also power AMCA instead of a GE engine until Kaveri 2.0 is completed.
Any Russian tech we need to import has to have close to half a decade of service record. Else, you are just gambling with it. Russian defence corporations have regressed unimaginably, and their certifications of new techs are as good as a joke. This engine requires certification and the limited series production... Quite sure Russians are not going to achieve that in the next 5 years, let alone full production.
 
true, 177s need modification in the airframe, so this must be evaluated seriously, along with R37 long range.
No modification needed for 177s; it is a direct swap, whereas 141F1 needs modification to the frame. It seems that there are also plans to add more Su-30s than the initial planned 12.
 

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