Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council on Monday. The biggest item on the table for discussion is a proposal to overhaul 40 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets – the aircraft that still forms the spine of the Indian Air Force’s combat fleet.
Keeping that many jets flying and airworthy has become a priority for the government, which is why overhaul and life-extension work keeps coming back to the DAC’s table. The Su-30MKI story is really HAL’s story too – the company builds and maintains nearly all of them. Monday’s overhaul proposal builds on that same logic: an ageing, hard-worked fleet needs sustained investment just to stay combat-ready, especially with the IAF still short of its sanctioned squadron strength. Worth remembering: the DAC’s job here is to grant what’s called an Acceptance of Necessity, or AoN – essentially the first real checkpoint in India’s long procurement process, not a final contract. It’s also worth separating this proposal from India’s other, bigger Su-30MKI plan – the deeper modernisation effort meant to bring more indigenous systems and technology into the jets. That upgrade programme is a different beast altogether. What’s on the table Monday is narrower: keeping the existing fleet flying and mechanically sound, not rebuilding its capabilities from the inside out.
The IAF operates close to 260 Su-30MKIs, and the type remains its most important combat asset, spread across sectors and doing everything from air superiority missions to long-range strikes. Earlier this year, the council already cleared an overhaul of Su-30 aero-engine aggregates, part of a broader Rs 2.38 lakh crore package of defence acquisitions. Back in December 2024, the ministry signed off on a roughly Rs 13,500 crore order for 12 more Su-30MKIs, built at HAL’s Nashik plant, meant to replace jets lost over the years and pad out the existing fleet. Even if the council approves the 40-jet overhaul on Monday, the actual cost, timeline and scope will only firm up once the Ministry of Defence puts out its formal statement afterwards.
The Ministry of Defence said at the time that the work would stretch the aircraft’s service life and help the IAF keep up with operational demands.
If the DAC gives its approval, HAL will likely lead the execution, much as it has with every other chapter of the Su-30MKI programme. Either way, Monday’s meeting should offer a fairly clear signal of where India’s defence acquisition priorities are headed next – with the Su-30 overhaul as the proposal most worth watching.
