Indian Su-30MKI Heavyweight Fighter Crashes in Assam

An Indian Air Force Su-30MKI heavyweight twin engine fighter has reportedly crashed in the state of Assam in the country’s northeast, around 75km southwest of the country’s border with Bhutan. The incident occurred during a routine training mission, and although both pilots ejected successfully they were reportedly hospitalised by their injuries. It is uncertain what caused the accident, but questions have been raised in the past about the state of maintenance for high end combat jets and the quality of components used in domestically manufactured aircraft. The Su-30MKI currently forms the mainstay of the Indian fleet with over 250 in service, and is currently in production under licence by Indian state owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The fighter is by far the most capable in Indian service unrivalled in its manoeuvrability, range, altitude, missile payload and situational awareness. The aircraft is capable of deploying a wide array of munition types from the Russian K-100 'AWACS killer' with a range exceeding 300km to the indigenous Astra ramjet powered long range air to air missile, the Israeli SPICE guided bomb and the British AIM-132 air to air missile. The platform's avionics continue to be upgraded regularly, and in early August the Indian Air Force signed a contract for 1000 Russian R-27 air to air missiles to better equip the fleet for future engagements.