The Sukhoi-30MKI fighters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have successfully completed a combat training mission in the western seaboard of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The mission, lasting nearly eight hours, involved a “large package” of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters and other assets taking off from a Gujarat airbase. The aircraft conducted long-range precision strikes, hitting a designated target near the Gulf of Oman after mid-air refuelling by IL-78 tankers.
This training mission comes shortly after the Rafale jets, based in northern West Bengal, undertook a similar exercise on the eastern seaboard, hitting a target in north Andaman. By conducting missions on both seaboards, the IAF is sending a strategic signal to China, which has been increasing its presence in the IOR.
These training missions in the IOR are part of the IAF’s efforts to practice interdiction missions, aiming to disrupt China’s sea lanes of communication for crucial energy and other imports. Amid the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh, the IAF’s focus on the IOR aims to ensure a strong deterrent presence in the region.
The Sukhoi-30MKI fighters armed with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles provide the IAF with a deadly weapons package capable of carrying out precise strikes against high-value targets at sea and on land. The BrahMos missiles, flying at nearly three times the speed of sound, significantly enhance the IAF’s deterrence capabilities.
IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari highlighted the BrahMos-equipped Sukhoi-30MKIs’ impact on the IAF’s deterrence value. The ongoing development of the next-generation BrahMos, along with plans to integrate it into smaller fighters like the MiG-29s, Mirage-2000s, and Tejas aircraft, further strengthens India’s air power and operational capabilities.
