IAF Inducts New Sukhoi Squadron In Chabua

(AviationWeek): The Indian air force (IAF) recently introduced a new squadron of Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft at Chabua air base in Assam in northeast India, on the border with China.
The IAF hopes to have 18 Su-30 MKIs once the base becomes fully operational in the next few months. It is the second squadron being raised in the region, following one at Tezpur in 2009.
The new induction raises the number of Sukhoi squadrons to seven — three in Pune, two in Bareilly, one in Tezpur and now one in Chabua. The Su-30 MKIs are being manufactured under license at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.’s Nasik division in Maharashtra.
In a related matter, the modified BrahMos supersonic missile is ready for integration onto the Su-30MKI. “The missile is now lighter in weight and size so as to suit the requirements, while the Sukhoi manufacturers in Russia have been asked to modify the structure of the platform,” a source says.
Engineers at BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. — an arm of BrahMos Aerospace in Kerala — have already developed a prototype of the missile mount for the Sukhoi. The basic design of the mount was conceived by BrahMos engineers from Hyderabad and later accepted by the Sukhoi Design Bureau.