NEW DELHI, May 8 (RIA Novosti) - A group of Russian
experts has arrived in India to look into the cause of a recent
Su-30MKI fighter jet crash, a source in India's Defense
Ministry told RIA Novosti on Friday.
An Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI crashed on April 30
during a routine training flight near a village 170km from the
town of Jaisalmer in the northeastern state of Rajasthan,
killing one of its two pilots.
The source said 20 Russian experts arrived on Wednesday at
the crash site to examine the wreckage of the plane. The
incident was the first since the Su-30MKI was put into service
with the Indian Air Force in 2002.
The Indian Air Force originally ordered 50 SU-30MKI
aircraft from Russia in 1996-98 and an additional 40 planes in
2007. Hindustani Aeronautics (HAL) was also contracted to build
140 aircraft in India between 2003 and 2017 under a licensed
production agreement.
According to open sources, the Indian Air Force currently
operates some 60 Su-30MKI in three of its 33 squadrons.
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