Around 40 Indian Su-30MKI Jets Now Armed With BrahMos Missiles

India’s Su-30MKI fleet upgrade continues at pace. Roughly 40 fighter jets already carry BrahMos missiles, a senior BrahMos official confirmed at the “Fleet-2026” naval show.

BrahMos Integration Moves Forward Steadily

Nearly 40 Su-30MKI fighter jets of the Indian Air Force are now equipped with BrahMos missiles and the upgrade work is far from finished. Alexander Maksichev, Russian co-director of the joint Russian-Indian BrahMos venture, shared this update with RIA Novosti at the “Fleet-2026” naval show in Kronstadt.

He put it plainly “The re-equipment of Su-30MKI aircraft with Brahmos missiles continues. At the moment, already 40 Su-30MKI aircraft are armed with these missiles”

Operation Sindoor Put the Jets to the Test

Maksichev also pointed to Operation Sindoor as proof of the aircraft’s capabilities. He stressed that the operation confirmed just how powerful these Su-30MKI jets are once paired with BrahMos missiles.

India’s Ministry of Defence launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025. The mission targeted terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistani territory. Indian forces deployed Russian-origin equipment during the operation including Su-30MKI jets and S-400 Triumf air defense systems.

A Fighter Jet Built on Home Soil

The Su-30MKI isn’t simply imported it’s manufactured in India under Russian licensing. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handles production domestically. The Indian Air Force currently operates around 270 of these aircraft, a mix of locally built units and jets delivered directly from Russia.

This latest update follows a related development from earlier this month India had already begun re-arming Russian-built frigates with BrahMos missiles, signaling a broader push to expand BrahMos integration across multiple platforms.