Kazakhstan Plans to Buy Additional Su-30SM Aircraft

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to procure additional Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft from Russia, according to a March 6 report by Russian news agency TASS.

Kazakhstan Armed Forces signed an agreement for first batch of the Su-30SM in 2015. The first four aircraft were delivered in June 2015. The second batch of two aircraft was delivered in December 2016. Another 12 aircraft were ordered in August 2017. The first two aircraft of the second order was delivered in late December 2017. As of January 2018, the Kazakhstan Air Force has eight Su-30SMs in its inventory. A total of 32 aircraft expected to be delivered by 2020. 

“Within the framework of the agreement on military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation in 2018, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan plans to conclude a contract for the supply of Su-30SM multirole aircraft, and until 2020 it has planned to purchase [additional] Su-30SM aircraft and Mi-35 helicopters,” the MoD in Astana told TASS without providing further details or the number of additional aircraft to be procured. 

According to Astana Times, the jet fighter is effective in counter-airstrikes, counter-ground and counter-sea missions. It can conduct electronic counter-measures and early warning tasks. The aircraft also acts as a command-and-control platform within a fleet of combat aircraft performing joint missions. 

Currently, Kazakhstan Air and Air Defense Forces are using Su-27 Flanker, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Su-25 Frogfoot, MiG-27 Flogger and MiG-31 Foxhound which are inherited from erstwhile Soviet Air Force.