Super Sukhoi Upgrade Alert ! 100 Advance Long-Range Dual Band IRST for SU-30 MKI

Super Sukhoi upgrade

With 260 fighter jet in its inventory, SU-30 MKI forms the back bone of Indian Air force. This is huge number of fighter which is enough to cause havoc, however in the era of electronic warfare these fighters need upgrades under Super Sukhoi program. From what it seems, India is following staggered approach to upgrade SU-30MKIs rather than big bang. Existing Su-30MKI fleet are equipped with DARE developed Tarang-Mk2 RWR. DARE now has developed all digital RWR named ‘Dhruti’ for the Su-30MKI fleet which is based on its experience on D-29 RWR developed for the Mig-29UPG fleet. Back in August 2021, it was reported that the Indian Air Force is going ahead with Rs 1000 crore project for the upgrade of RWR for the fleet of 125 SU-30 MKIs.

Long-Range Dual Band IRST for SU-30 MKI

Now, there are reports regarding the upgrade of a major component of SU-30 MKIs. In a big boost to Indian Air force capability, HAL and BEL has signed a contract for co-development and co-production of Long-Range Dual Band Indigenous Infra-Red Search and Track System (IRST) for Su-30 MKI. This will aid to strengthen the capabilities of the Su-30MKI in detecting ultra-stealthy aircraft like the F-22 and Chengdu J-20. At present the SU-30 MKI is integrated with Russian IRST Sensor.

IRST requirement

Earlier in 2018, The Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) had accorded approval for undertaking design and development of the Long-Range Dual Band Infrared Imaging Search and Track System (IRST) for SU-30 MKI aircraft under the ‘Make II’ sub-category and subsequently, for procurement of at least 100 IRSTs under ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category.

HAL & BEL IRST

The IRST system is a crucial part of the advanced fifth-generation aircraft as it plays a critical role in detecting heat sinking missiles and locate and destroy enemy targets in radar denied environment.

HAL and BEL proposed IRST system will be a high-end strategic technology product in the field of defence avionics and technically competitive to existing IRST system in the global market with features of Television Day Camera, Infrared & LASER Sensors in single window for air to air and air to ground target tracking and localization.

The system will perform passive search, detection and tracking of airborne targets at all aspects and against ground clutter, clouds, and reflective water surfaces, by day and night and in the presence of IR countermeasures. The laser rangefinder provides accurate range measurement for the employment of short-range Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) and against ground targets.

Overall, the system will be far more superior than existing Russian IRST on board SU-30 MKI.

How IRST works?

IRST looks for temperature differences using liquid hydrogen or nitrogen to cool the sensor to extremely low temperatures which provides a contrast to the outside. Then it relies on the fact that the air is very cold (at altitude) and any fighter airframe moving through the air at several hundred knots, or particularly supersonic, heats up a lot so temperature difference is huge. IRST is hugely affected by weather.

IRST systems are heat-seeking sensors, just like forward looking infrared (FLIR) pods, but they go a few steps further by enabling users to search and track individual airborne targets. Since IRST sensors are simply ‘receiving’ an emitting heat signal, they are “passive” sensors. In other words, they do not emit signals of their own (unlike radars, which transmit radio waves). This enables the tracking fighter to avoid alerting the target’s RWR [radar warning receiver], which is designed to react to active radar signals. In a within visual range dogfight, an IRST system can enable the user to possess an enhanced level of situational awareness of the combat zone without having to switch-on the radar, thus avoiding the risk of being an “exposed” target.

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