Armenia Receives First Of New Su-30SM Jets

Armenia received first of the Su-30SM fighter jets it ordered from Russia earlier this year, on Friday.

"Our most important acquisition this year," Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted on his Facebook account, along with a video showing two Sukhoi jets flying above.

In early 2019, Armenia signed an agreement with Russia on purchase of 4 Su-30SM multirole fighter jets, reports TASS.

The exact number of jets delivered to Armenia on Friday remains unclear.

In addition, the Armenian Armed Forces are planning to replenish their arsenal with modern weapons in 2022-2023, particularly with long-range weapon systems.

"We have a decision to acquire modern armament but we have no specific contracts yet. We are planning to acquire such means in 2022-2023. Specifically, this relates to long-range weapons," said Chief of Armenia’s General Staff Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan, on Thursday.

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 refueling.