Moscow. May 2. INTERFAX-AVN-The Su-30SM fighters in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Russian Navy will be upgraded to the Su-30SM2 variant, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The fundamental decision to upgrade the Su-30SM fleet to the CM2 level has already been made. It is planned that the work will be completed by 2027. Under the upgrade will fall not only fighters of the Aerospace Forces, but also naval aviation. However, according to the interlocutors of the publication, the exact number of "thirty", which will be upgraded to the level of the Su-30SM2, has not yet been determined, " the article says.
According to the publication, the updated aircraft will receive the most modern engine-AL-41F-1C (product 117S), which is now installed on serial Su-35 aircraft, a more powerful Irbis radar, as well as an expanded arsenal of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including hypersonic.
"Compared to the current Su-30SM powerplant, the thrust of the new engine has been increased by 16%, to 14,500 kgf. The service life of the aircraft engine immediately doubled, up to 4 thousand hours, without increasing the weight and dimensions. Equipped with a plasma ignition system, the AL-41F-1C is more economical than the AL-31FP currently installed on the "thirty". With the same amount of fuel, the fighter will be able to stay in the air longer, " the newspaper notes.
In August 2020, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that specialists of the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory installed the engines used on the Su-35S on the Su-30SM fighter, and flight tests will be conducted in the near future.
As reported by Interfax, at the Army-2020 forum, the Ministry of Defense and the UAC signed a contract for the supply of upgraded Su-30SM2 for the VKS and the Russian Navy. Earlier, Shoigu said that the agency will order 21 new-built fighters.
According to the head of the UAC, Yuri Slyusar, the combat capabilities of the upgraded aircraft will be significantly expanded, including through a new range of weapons. In addition, the Su-30SM2 will be completely import-substituted.
The Su-30SM (serial upgraded) is a multi-purpose fighter of the "4+" generation, developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and mass-produced at the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory of the Irkut Corporation (both companies are part of the UAC). The aircraft have been serially supplied to the troops since 2013. To date, they have become the most numerous type of modern fighters in service - the VKS and the Russian Navy have already received more than a hundred of such aircraft.
The Su-30SM is designed to gain air supremacy, block enemy airfields at great depths, and destroy air, ground, and sea targets, including at night and in difficult weather conditions.
