Belarus to get 4 of 12 Ordered Su-30SMs Next Month

Belarus is set to receive four of the 12 ordered Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia in November.

“The contract, which was signed in 2017, has come into force. Its financing has begun. The first four Su-30SM aircraft are supposed to be delivered in November 2019,” Andrei Ravkov, Belarusian Defense Minister, was quoted as saying by BelTA on Wednesday.

In May 2019, Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation had stated that the contract on the delivery of Su-30SM planes for Belarus was “at the stage of its implementation.”

The new fighters will replace the country’s ageing fleet of MiG-29 combat aircraft.

The deliveries of the Russian aircraft were reportedly scheduled to begin last year, but owing to the technical changes in the aircraft’s equipment set, the deliveries were postponed.

The Su-30SM is a generation 4++ serial-produced and upgraded two-seat super-maneuverable fighter jet. The Su-30SM is furnished with two AL-31FP thrust-vectoring reheated double-flow turbofan engines. The fighter has an operating range of 1,500 km and a flight endurance of 3.5 hours without refuelling.