One Hundred SU-30 Futuristic Fighter Jets Fly From Plant in Siberia to Air Base in Europe
One hundred advanced multi-role fighter jets Su-30SM are now guarding our skies as part of the Aerospace Forces. The anniversary aircraft was sent to the wing in the Kursk Region straight from the factory in Irkutsk. They call the new Su the aircraft of the future. It's unparalleled in most of its combat characteristics.
Alexander Revunov has the details.
Board numbers are already drawn on the gray-and-blue camouflage. Before the deployment, the 100th multi-role fighter jet Su-30SM must pass yet another proficiency test. Table inspections and test flights are over. The anniversary jet is ready to join the ranks of the Kursk wing of the Western Military District.
The flight from Irkutsk to Kursk tested the endurance of the new winged recruits. They successfully pierced fogs and blizzard. Shrugging off the Siberian frost they landed right in the middle of a December thaw. Su-30SM is landing after flying 5,000 km.
The pilot of Su-30SM: "It's not just a unique aircraft. I mean, I praise those people who designed and engineered it. It's the best thing I've seen in my 27-year service".
They call Su-30SM the "sky cleaner". The air-superiority fighter was designed to dominate the skies. It can secure the objectives under any weather conditions at any time of the day and night. The aircraft is capable of reaching the supersonic speed even without the afterburner. The engine with a controllable thrust vector allows the aircraft to easily perform the hardest aerobatic maneuvers.
Nikolai Dontsov, technical team commander: "The cockpit is wide and comfortable, the steering is rather simple".
The heavy fighter jet can serve as a winged HQ. Using an integrated powerful radar the new Su can locate enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 140 km. Its fuel distance is 3,000 km. It can carry up to 8 tons of payload.
Pilots praise the aero performance and the controllability of this aircraft. Su-30SM is the best among its peers. It combines all the best qualities of a fighter jet a bomber, and a ground support fighter. It can effectively strike both air and ground enemy targets. Formally, Su-30SM is a 4+ generation aircraft but many experts agree that its performance surpasses that of all Western counterparts.
Maxim Sevostyanov, commander of fighter jet air regiment: "The aircraft has unique weapons on board. The controlled thrust vector of its engines provides the necessary mobility to win in a maneuvering air combat".
These jets will join the ranks of a new wing. They will replace the veteran fighter MiG-29. The pilots of the air regiment have already passed the recurrent training to fly Su-30SM. Their short-term plan is patrolling the western Russian border.
Alexander Revunov, Ilya Buklov Andrey Kutsov, Mikhail Shum for Vesti from Irkutsk and the Kursk Region