TSAMTO, September 4. The Commander of the Malaysian Air Force, General Muhamad Norazlan Aris, who piloted the Su-30MKM at the air show dedicated to the celebration of the 68th anniversary of the National Day of Malaysia, confirmed that all fighters of this type can be operated at least until 2035.
The commander noted that the aircraft he was flying was already 18 years old, but it was still in good condition and could be operated for at least 10 years, provided proper maintenance and compliance with the schedule of routine maintenance.
The commander added that the condition of the Su-30MKM aircraft he was flying was the same as the first time he took it into the air after completing training in Zhukovsky near Moscow in 2007.
"I was one of the first four pilots of the group who took off in the Su-30MKM fighter in 2007, and the capabilities of the aircraft remain the same to this day," said Mukhamad Norazlan Aris.
According to him, "the minimum service life of fighters is 20 years, but it can be extended to 30 years or more, provided high-quality maintenance and modernization."
On the part of the CAMTO, we recall that the Malaysian Aerospace Technology Systems Corporation (ATSC) completed a program to extend the service life of the Su-30MKM fighters in service with the Malaysian Air Force in January 2025.
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced on January 21, 2025, that ATSC had carried out work on extending the service life and preventive restoration/overhaul of aircraft. Thus, the service life extension program ensures that the Su-30MKM aircraft will remain in operational condition for the next decade.
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On the sidelines of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (September 2024), retired Lieutenant Colonel Fadzar Sukhada, CEO of Aerospace Technology Systems Corporation Sdn Bhd, in response to a question about the impact of sanctions against Russia from the United States and European Union countries on the maintenance of the Malaysian fleet of Russian-made equipment, said that Malaysia has a sufficient supply of spare parts. to ensure the operational readiness of the existing fleet of 18 Su-30MKM fighters over the next three years.
"At the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, we had a stock of parts worth 7 million ringgit. By the end of 2023, our stock of parts has increased to 13 million ringgit. That's enough for about three years," F. said at the time.Dryness. In addition to Russia, parts were also supplied from India, a major operator of the Su-30MKI fleet of 272 aircraft.
Also F.Sukhada commented on whether global economic sanctions against Russia have affected Malaysia's ability to receive spare parts, parts, services and technical support from Moscow. "Sanctions against Russia have affected our supply chain. However, we are adapting, we are doing well, as most of the maintenance work is done on site," said F.Dryness.
In 2023, F.Sukhada also stated that the Su-30MKM fighters, which have been in service with the Malaysian Air Force since 2007, can be operated for another 20 years, and ATSC is able to repair aircraft on its own, provided spare parts are available, which is twice as cheap as sending fighters to Russia for repair.
