Five Fighter Jets Projecting Power and Protecting Russia’s Skies

Sukhoi Su-30SM2: An upgrade of the Sukhoi Su-30 – the multirole fighter serving as the backbone of Russian military aviation. While the base Su-30 was developed in the late 1980s and introduced in 1992, the SM (‘Serial Modernized’) variant was unveiled in 2013, turning the Su-30 into a true 4+ generation fighter jet with improved thrust-vectoring engines, new avionics, radar, communications and electronic warfare capabilities.

The SM2, the first batch of which was delivered to the Air Force last week, features further improvements to avionics, new high-precision weapons, an improved air target detection and identification range, and enhanced AL-41F1S engines borrowed from the Su-35 with superior performance and range characteristics, lower maintenance costs and increased longevity.

Sukhoi Su-35S: Developed through the late 1980s and 1990s and introduced into service in 2014, the Su-35 has been dubbed the apex of the Sukhoi Su-27 family of fighter designs, with 4++ generation characteristics including supermaneuverability, advanced radar and avionics, and onboard weaponry.

Over 150 Su-35S (series production) jets have been delivered to the military to date, with the latest batch received in April. The aircraft can carry up to 8 tons of weaponry, from air-to-air and air-to-ground precision missiles to heavy KAB-series TV/laser-guided bombs.

Sukhoi Su-34M: Introduced in June 2022, the Su-34M is the modernized version of the Su-34 fighter-bomber - itself a modern aircraft developed in the 80s and 90s and introduced in 2014 and featuring 4++ generation characteristics. The new model includes sweeping improvements to the aircraft’s avionics, radar and communications systems, improved electronic warfare capabilities, and extended targeting range for its complement of long range air-to-air, air-to-surface, anti-ship, anti-radiation and/or cruise missiles.

This aircraft can also carry the new devastatingly powerful FAB-series heavy gliding dumb-to-smart bombs.

Mikoyan MiG-31BM: The MiG-31’s biography betrays its survivor status. Introduced all the way back in 1981 as the USSR’s first fourth generation interceptor and attack jet, this aircraft has undergone over a dozen modifications and upgrades during its lifetime to remain relevant, with the MiG-31K variant making headlines in 2018 by becoming the preferred carrier of Russia’s new Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

The jet’s powerful engines (normally reserved for heavy transport planes and civilian airliners) make it capable of approaching Mach 3 flight speeds, and operating at altitudes above 20,500 meters – above that of most commercial and military aircraft. The MiG-31’s newest production variant is the MiG-31BM - a multirole aircraft equipped with improved avionics, upgraded Zaslon all-weather multimode phased array radar, and modernized navigation and communication systems.

United Aircraft Corporation delivered its latest batch of upgraded MiG-31BMs in July.

Sukhoi Su-57: The newest addition to Russia’s fighter fleet, the Su-57 is a stealth multirole fighter earning the designation of the nation’s first fifth-generation aircraft. The jet’s low visibility and advanced avionics and automation features separate it from its 4, 4+ and 4++ generation cousins. The Su-57 has only been built in small numbers (about two dozen series Su-57s delivered since the aircraft was first introduced into service in 2020), but developers have promised to remove bottlenecks and ramp up production in the coming years.

From 2024 onward, new Su-57s may be equipped with new, purpose built, truly fifth-generation AL-51F1 engines. For now, Su-57s come with the same power plant aboard the Su-35S – an excellent engine in its own right, but the new engines’ thrust capabilities are expected to enable the Su-57 to fly in supercruise mode at speeds over Mach 2 without activating afterburners – whose heightened high heat signature can give away the aircraft’s location.