The most powerful fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force, Sukhoi-30MKI, is now going to become more smart and safe. The Defense Ministry has issued a tender to install a new anti-jamming and anti-spoofing navigation system in 258 Su-30MKI fighter jets. This new technology will continue to provide accurate location and navigation data to the aircraft even amidst enemy electronic attacks. The special thing is that the system will work with many satellite networks like GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and GAGAN including India’s indigenous NaVIC system. The Defense Ministry has opened this project only for Indian companies, which will give a big boost to ‘Make in India’ and self-reliance in the defense sector.
According to sources, the new antenna electronic unit will be so modern that it will be able to foil the enemy’s jamming efforts to a great extent. The system will be designed in such a way that it works effectively even at an altitude of 21 kilometers, speed of Mach 1.5 and pressure ranging from -2g to 9g.
Supply of 10 base level testers
Under this project, a total of 300 antenna systems, 50 field level testers and 10 base level testers will be supplied. Besides, trials on two aircraft, installation in the entire fleet and training to Air Force personnel will also be done. According to the Defense Ministry, the entire upgrade project will have to be completed within 24 months of the signing of the contract. Technical and financial bids will have to be submitted by June 22, 2026.
According to the RFP of the Defense Ministry, the fixed timeline for this entire project has been kept at 24 months i.e. about 2 years. If the process continues on schedule, it is estimated that by the end of 2028 or beginning of 2029, most of the Sukhoi fighters of the Indian Air Force could be equipped with this new system.
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