The BrahMos-A equipped Sukhoi-30MKI gives the Indian Air Force unstoppable offensive capability, however few Sukhoi-30 operators in the area have indicated interest in the missile system because it mandates strengthening of the Sukhoi-30 airframe’s undercarriage.
Following in the footsteps of Vietnam and Indonesia, Malaysia, another operator of the Sukhoi-30 Flanker, has formally requested information from India regarding the forthcoming BrahMos-NG programme, which will begin developmental trials in 2024 and is anticipated to go into production in 2025.
Many Sukhoi-30 operators have expressed interest in the BrahMos-NG, an Air Launched Mack 3.5 capability Supersonic cruise missile with a range of 290 km and weighing only 1.6 tonnes. This is because the missile was especially created to be used from the Indian Sukhoi-30MKI.
The 2.5 tonnes BrahMos supersonic cruise missile’s air-launched variant, BrahMos-A, has performed so successfully against ground and sea-based targets that the IAF is now considering adding more Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft to its arsenal so it may continue to use them until BrahMos-NG is available. A longer-range missile that can reach targets up to 800 km away is currently being developed. BrahMos-A has a range of around 450 km.
