JF-17 Thunder: Myanmar Takes Delivery Of 6 Russian Su-30 Fighters As China-Pak Jet “Remains Troubled”

As the rebel army is consolidating its gains against the Junta, the Myanmar Air Force has taken delivery of its six Su-30 SMEs from Russia. The delivery of the twin-seater, two-engine fighter jet comes as the Myanmar Air Force is facing problems with its Chinese-made JF-17 Thunder fighter jets.

The six Russian jets were acquired under a 2018 contract valued at US$ 400 million. The acquisition has been financed through a Russian loan, and the final two fighter jets were commissioned on December 15, 2024, at Meiktila Air Base in Mandalay.

Lieutenant General Alexander Fomin, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister, informed the Russian news agency TASS that these Su-30 jets will serve as Myanmar’s primary aircraft for safeguarding territorial integrity and countering terror threats. The Su-30SMEs are stationed at Naypyidaw Air Base, enabling coverage of the entire country.

The Myanmar Junta is strengthening its air capabilities to deal with the rebels. On December 15 alone, the military commissioned six Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, six Chinese-made FTC-2000G fighter jets, one K-8W fighter jet, and one Y-8 support aircraft.

According to Justice for Myanmar, which monitors the conflict in the country, the military is predominantly receiving aviation fuel from China and Russia, while the Junta has said that the raw materials it uses to produce military weapons come from 13 countries, including China, Russia, and India.

The Myanmar Air Force is currently focused on counter-insurgency operations and has been providing close air support to ground forces engaged in conflict with rebel forces. Since 2021, the Myanmar Air Force has been conducting airstrikes.

The air superiority has not been enough for the Junta to defend its territory against the ethnic rebel groups.

Myanmar’s junta is conducting regular airstrikes and artillery attacks on towns in northern Shan state that are firmly under rebel control. The Air Force has been using Y-12 aircraft to drop bombs at the rebel-held areas. After losing fighter jets and combat helicopters, the military is now also using transport helicopters “capable of carrying hundreds of bombs” in its attacks on rebel forces.

The junta will expand its use of air and artillery attacks even in 2025 as part of a bid to prevent further loss of territory. While anti-junta forces do not possess surface-to-air missiles and other sophisticated equipment, they are still capable of shooting down the junta’s low-flying aircraft with weapons such as .50 caliber machine guns.

The Su-30SME, a Russian twin-engine, two-seat variant of the Su-30, is designed for missions requiring extended range and substantial payload capacity. It has a maximum speed of Mach 2.0, a service ceiling of 17,300 meters, an operational range of approximately 3,000 kilometers, and 12 hardpoints for carrying various weapon configurations.

The Su-30SME, an export variant of the Russian Su-30SM fighter, was first presented internationally at the Singapore Airshow in 2018. It is equipped with Russian-made avionics, replacing foreign components found in other variants, such as the Su-30MKI.