After consolidating its presence in the automobile industry, MRF is now rolling out tyres for Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 range of aircraft.
MRF Chairman and Managing Director K M Mammen, Air Vice Marshal J K Singh and Aero Director General K Tamil Mani were present at the launch of the main wheel tyres — Aeromuscle — manufactured at the company’s facility in Medak, Hyderabad.
“Though this tyre looks black and round, there are several compounds in it that are not simple. These are made for handling extreme conditions as a Sukhoi-30 lands at a speed of 420 km per hour...,” Mammen told reporters here on Saturday. The Chennai-based company was the first to offer tyres for Chetak Helicopter in 2001. MRF took up the project for the Sukhoi-30 MKI in 2008 and the project was anchored by CEMILAC — the certifying authority for military aviation, RCMA (Nashik), DGAQA, Indian Air Force and HAL.
MRF has begun the supply of main wheel tyres to Sukhoi and was in the process of developing many more tyres for various aircraft of IAF, Indian Navy and HAL, MRF executive vice-president (marketing) Koshy Varghese said.
Air Vice Marshal Singh said India was looking at a reliable domestic supplier as there were issues with multiple foreign vendors.