Facing spares crisis, Indian Air Force 3D-prints rubber parts for Russian jets
New Delhi: Faced with months-long delays in spare parts from Russia, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun 3D printing rubber components in-house to keep its Russian-origin fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters operational.
According to Kashmir Media Service, officials said a Base Repair Depot (BRD) has been tasked with producing non-critical rubber parts such as seals, gaskets, brackets, ducts and rubberised fabric linings using 3D printing technology.
The initiative is now being expanded to critical components. “Earlier we depended on injection and compression moulding that required expensive moulds and months of lead time. Now we can design and print a part within days without any special mould,” a source at the depot said.
The move is part of the IAF’s push to overcome crisis.
India’s fleet of 270 Sukhoi-30MKIs, 70 MiG-29s and Mi-17 helicopters has been hit hard as Moscow’s defence industry struggles due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to the IAF’s ‘Sankalp-2026’ document, the service has listed consumables and maintenance items as priority areas for domestic industry to fill gaps.
In a parallel step, the IAF and IIT-Bombay have developed a physics-informed AI model that works as a “health index” for each Sukhoi-30MKI engine.
Analysts say the 3D printing and AI initiatives reflect New Delhi’s challenges and its urgency to sustain its Russian-origin fleet amid strained supply chains.
