HAL hopes to get order for squadron of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], Feb 21 (ANI): Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday said that it hopes to get an order for a squadron of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets which are assembled in the state-owned facility.
"We have put up a proposal and we hope to get a new squadron of Sukhois (Sukhoi-30 fighter jets) in the future," Chairman and Managing Director (MD) R Madhavan said here at a press conference.
He was responding when asked by a reporter whether HAL had any order in the pipeline.
His statement came amid media reports that the central government is planning to increase the overhauling capacity of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to 25 per year from the existing 12 aircraft.
One squadron comprises 20 fighter jets.
The Bengaluru-based HAL has been assembling and overhauling Su-30 fighter aircraft at its Ozar unit in Maharashtra's Nasik district since 2004.
According to reports, HAL has manufactured 260 Su-30 aircraft to date and is expected to manufacture two additional aircraft from the facility by the end of this year.
According to sources, the IAF is planning to procure eight new Sukhoi Su-30MKI from HAL. The total cost of the order is estimated to be more than Rs 30 billion ($421.03m).
The Su-30MKI aircraft is developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Aviation and built under licence by HAL in India.
Meanwhile, talking about the controversial Rafale fighter jets, Madhavan said that the state-owned company will not be interested in the Rafale project anymore in the current phase.
"As of now, it is a 36 aircraft direct purchase so it is nothing like manufacturing, so that is the reason we are not much interested. If it is manufacturing then we are interested, we are not interested either in offsets or direct purchase," he added. (ANI)