Deployment of Sukhoi-30 MKI at Thanjavur base will give boost to country’s defence preparedness. (Photo Credit: Reuters File)
New Delhi:
The Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft will be inducted into the newly reinstated 222 Tigersharks Squadron of the Indian Airforce on Monday at Thanjavur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu. It will be the second frontline fighter squadron of IAF to be based in South India, the earlier one being in Coimbatore. However, Thanjavur will be the first Sukhoi-30 Squadron of the Southern Air Command.
Air Force Station in Thanjavur was dedicated to the nation on May 27, 2013 with the primary aim of strengthening the air defence capabilities under Southern Air Command (SAC), headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram.
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This station was mandated to protect economic interests and assets in Southern peninsula in Indian Ocean region. The presence of two airbases-Tanjavur and Coimbatore will hugely enhance the operational capability of IAF in the southern region.
Recently, India successfully conducted five flight tests of the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) 'Astra' from Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter platform, off Odisha coast. The trials were conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF), simulating all possible threat scenarios.
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Moreover, in December 2019, Indo-Russian BrahMos Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) was successfully launched by the IAF the from the Russian Su-30 MKI against a sea target.
The deployment of Sukhoi-30 MKI at Thanjavur base will give boost to country’s defence preparedness as it will enhance operational capability.
