An air formation of the Russian Western Military District will receive a pair of Su-30SM fighter jets from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (an affiliate of IRKUT Corporation) to form a new air squadron in the Kursk region, the press service of the Western Military District said.

A Russian Air Force Su-30SM fighter jet
(Credit: Russian Ministry of Defense)

"The manufacturing plant in Irkutsk has already adopted a pair of aircraft. They are ready to fly more than 5,000 kilometers. The pair made at the Irkutsk plant will join the new air squadron to replace MiG-29SMT fighter jets under the rearmament program," the district’s press service said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Irkut is about to transfer the final batch of Su-30SMs ordered under the current acquisition plan. Two aircraft of this batch already passed the acceptance process and are being prepared for the ferry flight to their permanent base.

The multirole Su-30SM (serial, modernized) (Flanker-H by NATO classification) is designed to win supremacy in the air and for strikes at ground and surface targets. The aircraft has front horizontal fin and steerable thrusters. They make the aircraft super maneuverable. Su-30SM carries multifunctional Bars radar.

It has a broad range of weapons, including air-to-air missiles and high-precision air-to-surface armaments. Su-30SM can be used to train pilots for perspective one-seater fighters. The aircraft has been built since 2012. Su-30SM aircraft are taking part in the operation in Syria. It was adopted for service in 2018.