IAF’s BrahMos-A Arsenal Grows: Supersonic Standoff Power Set to Hit 60 Fighters by 2027

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — India’s Air Force is preparing to significantly expand its airborne long-range strike capabilities by upgrading an additional 20 Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters to integrate the formidable BrahMos-A supersonic air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), a 2.5-ton precision weapon jointly developed by India and Russia.

The move follows the successful upgrades of 40 Su-30MKI aircraft that are already operational with BrahMos-A, marking a major step forward in India’s ability to project airpower deep into contested territory without crossing borders.

If the current upgrade plan is fully executed, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will field a total of 60 BrahMos-A-capable Su-30MKIs—effectively tripling its standoff missile launch fleet and enabling the establishment of a third dedicated BrahMos squadron.

“Work on upgrading the Su-30MKI fleet to support BrahMos-A integration is expected to begin this year and is projected to conclude by 2027,” according to senior defence officials overseeing the program.

The modification process involves complex structural reinforcements to allow the airframe to withstand the aerodynamic stress of carrying and launching a 2.5-ton missile under high-speed, high-altitude conditions.

BrahMos-A, the air-launched derivative of the BrahMos supersonic missile family, delivers blistering performance with speeds reaching Mach 3 and engagement ranges of 400 to 500 kilometers—extendable to 800 kilometers in next-generation versions under development.

Designed to destroy high-value strategic targets including surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, radar installations, command-and-control centers, and warships, the BrahMos-A transforms the Su-30MKI into a long-range, precision-strike platform with deep strike capability.

With its active radar seeker and inertial navigation system, the missile is capable of terminal sea-skimming or low-altitude terrain-hugging flight profiles, enabling near-impervious penetration against layered enemy air defences.

Each modified Su-30MKI is fitted with a custom release mechanism and avionics enhancements to accommodate the massive missile, but due to its weight and drag, the platform can carry only one BrahMos-A at a time.

The Su-30MKI-BrahMos-A combination significantly boosts India’s force projection capability across multiple domains—especially in the context of a two-front contingency involving simultaneous threats from Pakistan in the west and China along the northern and eastern sectors.

The enhanced reach and survivability afforded by the BrahMos-A allows IAF strike formations to neutralize targets in enemy territory while operating from deep within Indian airspace—thereby minimizing exposure to hostile air defence networks and maintaining escalation control.

Notably, the BrahMos-A is believed to have played a critical operational role during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, when Indian forces reportedly targeted strategic infrastructure within Pakistan with high-precision air strikes using dummy aircraft decoys and standoff munitions.

BrahMos Aerospace, the developer of the missile, is a joint venture established in 1998 between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia, a leading Russian missile technology house.

The name “BrahMos” fuses the names of two major rivers—India’s Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva—symbolizing the strategic convergence of two nations in cutting-edge weapons development.

Beyond India, interest in the BrahMos-A platform has grown in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia reportedly evaluating the system for integration onto its Su-30MKM fleet operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).

If adopted, the RMAF’s acquisition of BrahMos-A would represent a significant leap in its ability to defend maritime interests in the South China Sea and establish credible deterrence against evolving regional threats.

For India, the strategic utility of fielding 60 BrahMos-equipped Su-30MKIs lies not only in raw firepower, but also in the broader geostrategic message it conveys: the country is now capable of delivering high-precision, deep-strike responses at supersonic speeds without risking the lives of pilots or breaching sovereign airspace.

This standoff capability is especially relevant amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, growing assertiveness by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and Pakistan’s evolving air defence posture along the Line of Control and beyond.

Strategic Imperatives Behind Expanding BrahMos-A Fleet

Standoff Precision Warfare:
By allowing India to strike from 500–800 km away, BrahMos-A extends IAF’s reach far beyond enemy airspace, targeting C4I nodes, radar sites, and naval vessels with minimal risk to pilots.

Naval Dominance in the Indian Ocean:
The Su-30MKI/BrahMos-A combo acts as a credible “carrier killer,” crucial in countering the PLAN’s expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and safeguarding Indian sea lanes.

Two-Front War Readiness:
The upgraded fleet provides India with strategic depth and air superiority across both western and eastern theatres, critical in deterring or defeating coordinated threats from Pakistan and China.

Supersonic Survivability:
At Mach 3, BrahMos-A is nearly impossible to intercept using conventional air defences, giving India a first-strike or counter-strike advantage that is both timely and tactically survivable.

Strategic Autonomy:
Being co-developed and largely maintained domestically, BrahMos-A reduces dependence on foreign suppliers and enhances India’s indigenous defence industrial base.

Cost-Effective Modernization:
Rather than procure entirely new strike aircraft, upgrading existing Su-30MKIs enables India to maximize combat capability using already-available airframes and infrastructure.

Psychological Deterrence:
A fleet of 60 BrahMos-capable fighters serves as a visible and credible warning to adversaries that India can deliver devastating, precision-guided, high-speed attacks with minimal warning.

Conclusion

By scaling up its Su-30MKI-BrahMos-A fleet to 60 aircraft, the Indian Air Force is laying the foundation for a future force architecture centered on survivability, reach, and lethality—delivering a supersonic message of deterrence across South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

In an era defined by contested airspace, dual-front threats, and rapid-response warfare, India’s airborne BrahMos capability is no longer a luxury—it’s a strategic necessity.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA