According to the site newindianexpress.com, the Indian Air Force would have carried out a test campaign with live fire against aerial targets of the MICA air-to-air missile from one of its Sukhoi Su-30MKI heavy fighters, concurrently with the tests of the new Russian R-77 missile. Following these tests, the IAF announced that the French missile would soon equip, in addition to aircraft Rafale and Mirage 2000 i, its Su-30MKI, in order to strengthen the interception and air combat capabilities of the fighter which today forms the backbone of Indian air power. The desire of the Indian general staff to equip a plane of Russian origin with a European missile is not new, since the question was raised in 2016, when India acquired almost 500 MICA missiles. from MBDA to equip its modernized Mirage 2000s, and that in February 2019, the IAF announced equip its same Su-30MKI with the British ASRAAM short-range Air-Air missile from the same European missile ship MBDA.
But it's probably theBalakot aerial engagement above Kashemir which led the IAF to accelerate its program to equip its Su-30s with the French missile. Indeed, on February 26, 2019, around twenty Pakistani fighters were opposed to around ten Indian aircraft, in what will remain the most important aerial combat of the last 20 years, resulting in the loss of an F16D on the Pakistani side and of a Mig21 Bison on the Indian side. During this engagement, two modernized Mirage 2000s, each equipped with 6 MICA missiles, faced 4 Pakistani JF-17s escorting 4 Mirage Vs and 4 Mirage IIIs, and managed to force their adversaries to fire their air-to-ground missiles beyond their range. maximum range, and to turn around, thanks to the engagement capabilities of the missile coupled with the RDY 2 radar of the Mirage 2000 in a fight beyond visual range (BVR). At the same time, a pair of Su-30MKIs similarly faced 4 F16Cs and 4 F16Ds, without succeeding in obtaining sufficiently valid firing solutions with their AA-12 'Adder' (RVV-AE), but in forcing the F16Cs to fire their AIM-120 C5s at maximum engagement distance, with extremely low chances of hitting their target.
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