New Delhi: The Indian Air Force is all set to further boost its fleet of top-of-the-line Sukhoi-30MKI fighters with additional orders for 42 'Super-30' variants such aircraft. Reports suggest that the Cabinet Committee on Security may have sanctioned this fresh purchase sometime early this month.

The order is expected to be for the 'Super' variant of the Su-30MKI, which would be capable of carrying the BrahMos cruise missile. The Super variants are also expected to carry the under-development, nuclear-capable, Nirbhay cruise missile with a range of 1,000 km.

The 'Super' variants are expected to field new radars, onboard computers, electronic warfare systems as well as the supersonic BrahMos and the high sub-sonic, strategic Nirbhay missile.

The first two prototypes of the 'Super-30' upgrade are expected to be delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2012, after which the same upgrades will be performed on the last batch consisting of 40 production aircraft.

The fresh order for 42 such aircraft would take the total number of these fighters in the Indian Air Force inventory to 272, making it the single largest type of fighters with the IAF when all deliveries are finally completed by 2018.

The Su-30MKI is the most advanced model amongst the various variants of the Su-30 platform, which includes the Su-30MKK flown by the Chinese air force and a few other nations around the world.

The air forces of advanced nations, such as the US, the UK and France, have made it a point to seek joint exercises with the Indian Air Force just so they could test their own top-of-the-line equipment and pilot skills against this platform, which is universally acknowledged as a formidable force multiplier.

The fresh order for these 42 aircraft will cost the Indian Air Force atleast Rs15,000 crore. 

Deliveries of all 272 aircraft, including the fresh order, are expected to be completed by 2018.

HAL is expected to commence manufacture of this lot of 42 aircraft sometime in 2014.

Orders for the Su-30MKI have been placed in four tranches, with the original order for 50 fighters placed in 1996. The second tranche of orders for 140 fighters was placed in 2000, which was followed up with a third tranche of orders for an additional 40 aircraft.

Reports suggest that HAL is expected to complete all deliveries of the Su-30MKI by 2016-17.

HAL has made steady progress in stepping up production of the Su-30MKI at its facilities and is set to deliver 28 of these fighters this year as compared to 23 last year. It has already delivered a total of 74 of such aircraft through assembly or manufacture.