Armenia Negotiating Purchase of Su-30SM Fighters from Russia

Armenia is negotiating the purchase of Su-30 fighter jets from Russia, the country’s acting Defense Minister, David Tonoyan said Monday.

Tonoyan also said that no decision has been made to buy Swedish multipurpose Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters for the Armenian Air Force, despite reports in the media. However, he did note that Yerevan has received an offer “from another [foreign] partner”, UAwire reported Tuesday.

Shortly before the change in government in Armenia, the country’s Defense Ministry postponed the possibility of buying Russian multipurpose Su-30SM fighters until 2024. The project, which envisages the sale of at least one squadron of the fighters to the Armenian Air Force, was signed in 2012, but has not yet been brought into effect due to financial difficulties on the buyer’s side. This was reported by the Russian news outlet Kommersant, which also noted that Russia is expecting to implement the agreement ahead of schedule with Armenia’s new leaders.

The Su-SM 4+ generation (modernized serial) is designed to dominate fights in the air and to attack ground targets using high-precision modern weapons under both clear and challenging weather conditions.