Russian Aerospace Forces Receive New Batch of Su-30SM2 Fighters to Counter Ukraine’s F-16s

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has delivered a batch of new Su-30SM2 multirole fighters to the Russian military.

"The aircraft have passed the necessary ground and flight tests and have departed for their duty station. The Irkutsk Aviation Plant is fulfilling the plan for the production of new aircraft within the framework of the state defense order on time," the UAC press service reported on Saturday.

"The Su-30SM2 fighters is an upgrade of the Su-30SM aircraft currently in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. The new aircraft have received an improved set of onboard electronic equipment besides an engine derived from that of the Su-35S fighter.

The SM2 fighters' armament includes new high-precision weapons for the destruction of air, land and sea targets at a range of several hundred kilometers," the UAC statement said.

The last time UAC reported the transfer of a batch of Su-30SM2 to the Russian Defense Ministry was last December.

The Su-30SM2 is considered Russia’s answer to the US and it allies providing Ukraine with F-16 fighters besides air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.