Russian Su-30 fighters will undergo a deep modernization. Yesterday, on May 2, the Izvestia newspaper reported that the Su-30SM fighters in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Russian Navy will be upgraded to the Su-30SM2 version.
"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. Not only the fighters of the Aerospace Forces, but also the naval aviation will be upgraded, "Izvestia writes, citing its own sources in the Russian Defense Ministry.
Su-30SM fighter jet
Image source: iz.ru
At the same time, the exact number of aircraft that will undergo modernization is not reported. The Su-30SM2 will receive the most modern Russian 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.
Plans to equip the Su-30SM with engines from the Su-35 became known in 2018. Then it was reported that this would be done for the purpose of unification. The next year, the Russian Defense Ministry announced its intention to carry out a deeper modernization of the Su-30SM, equipping them with radars from the Su-35. The new modification was called the Su-30SM1 — it was planned to bring all the Su-30SM in service to this level. According to the portal defenseworld.net, the engineers had difficulties in adapting the Su-30SM to the AL-41F-1C engine, so the timing of the modernization is postponed. Serial production of the Su-30SM1 was planned for 2021, but as far as we know, no prototype of the Su-30SM with the AL-41F-1C engine has yet been flown.
