Flying High: Russian Aerospace Forces to Get Over 30 Su-30SM Fighter Jets

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Defense Ministry and the Irkut aircraft manufacturer have signed a contract to supply over 30 multipurpose Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets to the Russian Aerospace Forces by the end of 2018, the ministry's press service said in a statement Sunday.

"The Russian Defense Ministry and the Irkut Corporation have signed a contract to supply multipurpose Su-30SM fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces… According to the terms of the contract, over 30 multipurpose Su-30SM fighters will be delivered [to the Russian Aerospace Forces] by the end of 2018," the statement said.

The Su-30SM is a 4++ generation fighter jet, developed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company.

It is a two-seat derivative of the earlier Su-27UB (NATO reporting name: Flanker) capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with a wide variety of precision-guided munitions. The aircraft features thrust-vectoring engines to enhance maneuverability.