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Deliveries of combat aircraft to the Russian Armed Forces in 2022bmpd
January 11th, 18:17
The main factor determining the state of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2022 was a special military operation in Ukraine, which turned into the largest war for Russia since 1945, and was accompanied, among other things, by significant losses of aviation equipment. Against this background, the supply of new combat aircraft to the Russian Armed Forces remained at a relatively low level - according to available data, 29 combat and combat training aircraft were delivered: four Su-30SM2, ten Su-34M, seven Su-35S, six Su- 57 and two Yak-130s.
Five newly built military transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A were also delivered. At the same time, it can be noted that in 2022, for the first time, the pace of mass production of the Su-57 and Il-76MD-90A aircraft has noticeably accelerated.
One of the Yu.A. Gagarin (KnAAZ) PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation" of Su-35S fighters (tail number "05 blue"). In the background, Su-35 fighter jets, which were manufactured by KnAAZ in 2020-2021, originally for Egypt, can be seen in storage. Dzemgi (Komsomolsk-on-Amur), October 2022 (c) cockroach / russianplanes.net ( link )
Regarding losses, it is estimated that during the hostilities in Ukraine in 2022, the Russian Armed Forces lost at least 30 new types of combat aircraft (Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35) from all causes.
Among the aircraft delivered to the Russian Armed Forces in 2022:
Six fifth-generation Su-57 fighters. According to available information, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yu.A. Gagarin (KnAAZ) PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation" (PJSC "UAC", part of the State Corporation Rostec) in 2022 handed over to the Russian Ministry of Defense six serial fifth-generation fighters Su-57 (T-50S).
The first two Su-57 fighters built in 2022 with tail numbers "53 red" (registration number RF-81777) and "54 red" (registration number RF-81778) were handed over in May 2022 and were seen during an intermediate landing at Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport during the transfer to the places of deployment in the European part of Russia from Komsomolsk-on-Amur on May 25-26, 2022.
Four more Su-57 fighters were handed over in December 2022 and spotted in Tolmachevo during an intermediate landing on December 28. Their on-board and registration materials on known photo and video materials were retouched.
Earlier, in 2020-2021, KnAAZ handed over four Su-57 aircraft to the Russian Aerospace Forces: fighters with tail numbers "01 red" (originally had tail number "01 blue", the first production Su-57 fighter actually received on January 29, 2021 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - aircraft T-50S-2, serial number 51002); "02 red" (originally had tail number "02 blue", T-50S-3, serial number 52201, built in 2021, spotted in Tolmachevo during the transfer on February 3, 2022); "52 red" (registration number RF-81775, built in 2021, seen in Tolmachevo during the transfer on February 3, 2022) and "52 blue" (built in 2021, featured in a KnAAZ video distributed in early 2022).
In August 2018, at the Army-2018 International Military-Technical Forum, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Sukhoi Company PJSC signed a contract for the supply of the first two Su-57 serial fighters to the Armed Forces (in the guise of T-50S - T-50S -1 and T-50S-2) with engines of the "first stage" ("product 117"). The terms of the contract were 2018-2020, with the delivery of one aircraft in 2019 and 2020. In June 2019, at the International Military technical forum "Army-2019" the Ministry of Defense of Russia and PJSC "Company" Sukhoi "signed a contract for the supply of a total of 76 serial Su-57 fighters to the Armed Forces (including the first two aircraft contracted in 2018), with a contract deadline of 2027 year.
The first serial Su-57 aircraft (T-50S-1 aircraft, serial number 51001, tail number "01 blue"), built at KnAAZ, made its first flight in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in early December 2019 and was planned to be transferred to the Ministry of Defense On December 27, but on December 24, 2019, at the final stage of factory testing, it crashed as a result of an accident, due, presumably, to a failure in the aircraft control system. Flight tests of the second of two production models of the Su-57 fighter contracted in 2018 (T-50S-2 aircraft, serial number 51002) began in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in October 2020, it also received tail number "01 blue", and was commissioned in December 2020, but, as mentioned above, it was officially transferred to the Ministry of Defense only on January 29, 2021.
Thus, to date, 11 production Su-57 fighters have been built, of which, after the loss of the lead one, the Russian Aerospace Forces received ten. Presumably, the first two Su-57 fighters with blue tail numbers “01” and “02” received by the Russian Aerospace Forces entered the 116th Training Center for Combat Use of the 185th Center for Combat Training and Combat Use of Fighter Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Privolzhsky airfield in Astrakhan areas.
Seven more Su-57 aircraft (with red tail numbers "51", "52" and "53", and four transferred at the end of 2022), presumably, entered the 4th Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Center for military testing and training personnel of the VKS named after V.P. Chkalov of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to the Lipetsk airfield.
The Su-57 aircraft with tail number "52 blue" is presumably the first aircraft intended for the first line unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces, planned to be re-equipped with these fighters - the 23rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 303rd Guards Mixed Aviation Division of the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Eastern Military District at the Dzemgi airfield in the same Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Earlier in 2014, the 23rd Fighter Aviation Regiment was also the first in the Russian Air Force (VKS) to be re-equipped with Su-35S fighters (also manufactured at KnAAZ).
Four new serial Su-57 fighters built by Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yu.A. Gagarin PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation" during an intermediate landing at the airport of Novosibirsk Tolmachevo during the transfer to the bases in the European part of Russia, 12/28/2022. Side and registration numbers retouched (c) NSK Planes
Seven Su-35S fighters. According to available information, in 2022 the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yu.A. Gagarin handed over seven Su-35S fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
On September 9, 2022, KnAAZ delivered the first three Su-35S fighters of its 2022 production program - aircraft with blue tail numbers "01", "02" and "03". They became the final aircraft under the third contract with the UAC concluded on August 25, 2020 during the Army-2020 International Military-Technical Forum by the Russian Ministry of Defense for the supply, apparently, of only six Su-35S fighters.
These three Su-35S entered the 116th Combat Training Center of the 185th Center for Combat Training and Combat Use of Fighter Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Privolzhsky airfield in the Astrakhan region, becoming the first Su-35S aircraft as part of this Center. Earlier in December 2021, KnAAZ handed over the first three Su-35S aircraft under this 2020 contract, which entered the 4th Red Banner Center for Military Testing and Training of Personnel of the VKS named after V.P. Chkalov of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation at the Lipetsk airfield.
Four more Su-35S built in 2022 were handed over to KnAAZ VKS Russia in early December 2022. The side numbers of the aircraft on the widespread video and photographic materials were retouched, however, according to the available information, these aircraft apparently have blue side numbers "04", "05", "06" and "07". Based on this line of numbers, it can be assumed that these aircraft also became part of the 116th Training Center for Combat Use of the 185th Center for Combat Training and Combat Use of Fighter Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Privolzhsky airfield in the Astrakhan region.
Presumably, these are the first four Su-35S fighters manufactured under the fourth contract concluded in 2021 by UAC for the supply of Su-35S aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is possible that this contract includes 24 aircraft for delivery by 2024.
Prior to that, under two previous contracts in 2009 and 2015, the Russian Aerospace Forces received 98 serial Su-35S aircraft from 2012 to 2020. Thus, the total number of serial Su-35S received by the Russian Ministry of Defense now stands at 108 units.
One of the Yu.A. Gagarin (KnAAZ) PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation" of Su-35S fighters (tail number "03 blue"). The registration numbers on the keels are retouched. Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 09/09/2022 (c) footage from the video of United Aircraft Corporation PJSC
Ten front-line bombers Su-34M. During 2022, the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (NAZ) named after V.P. Chkalov, United Aircraft Corporation PJSC delivered ten Su-34M (Su-34NVO) bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces. The aircraft were delivered in three batches - in June (four aircraft), in November (three) and at the end of December (three). These aircraft were allegedly manufactured under a new three-year contract concluded in June 2020 between the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and UAC for the construction of 24 modernized Su-34M (Su-34NVO) bombers.
The first six Su-34M aircraft under this contract were manufactured by NAZ in 2021. Four of them in November 2021 were transferred to the 277th bomber aviation regiment of the 303rd mixed aviation division of the 11th Red Banner Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Eastern Military district (since November 2022, this regiment, which is actively participating in the special military operation in Ukraine, bears the rank of guards).
Two other Su-34M bombers built by NAZ in 2021, presumably, were delivered in December 2021 to the 4th Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Center for Military Testing and Training of Personnel of the Aerospace Forces named after V.P. Chkalov of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation at the Lipetsk airfield.
The side numbers of the Su-34M bombers delivered in 2022 were retouched in official photo and video materials, but, according to available information, seven aircraft delivered in June and November 2022 also entered the 277th Bomber Regiment, which, apparently, made it possible to start manning these aircraft 3rd Squadron Regiment. Earlier, the 277th bomber regiment in Khurba received 26 Su-34 aircraft in 2016-2017, which were equipped with two squadrons of the regiment (two of these Su-34s were lost in a collision on January 18, 2019 over the Tatar Strait), and the third squadron of the regiment retained in service the Su-24M2 front-line bombers, transferred to it during rearmament from two other squadrons.
At the same time, due to the combat losses suffered in 2022, the regiment, apparently, still remains incomplete.
Three Su-34M aircraft transferred to NAZ in December 2022 apparently had blue tail numbers "01", "02" and "03". It can be assumed that, in this way, these aircraft were delivered to the new aviation regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which had not previously used Su-34 bombers.
Presumably, now the total number of Su-34s built has reached 155 units, including seven experimental and pre-production aircraft.
In August 2022, according to available information, the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a new contract with UAC for the manufacture of a certain number of Su-34M aircraft (according to unofficial data, about 15 units).
One of the three Su-34M (Su-34NVO) front-line bombers (tail number "03 blue") handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces in December 2022, a new construction of the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after V.P. Chkalov PJSC United Aircraft Corporation. Novosibirsk, December 2022 (с) stream / forums.airforce.ru
Four Su-30SM2 fighters. In November 2022, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAZ) of the United Aircraft Corporation PJSC handed over four Su-30SM2 fighters to the Russian Ministry of Defense. These aircraft with blue tail numbers from "82" to "85" were delivered to the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy and became part of the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment of the 34th Composite Aviation Division of the Baltic Fleet Aviation based at the Chernyakhovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad Region.
The four Su-30SM2 fighters delivered in 2022 are the second batch of Su-30SM2 aircraft built by IAP under a contract for the supply of 21 fighters of this type for the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy, concluded by the Russian Ministry of Defense with UAC on August 25, 2020.
The first batch of four Su-30SM2 aircraft with blue tail numbers from "78" to "81" under this contract was transferred to the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy at the end of 2021 and in January 2022 also entered the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment in Chernyakhovsk.
Earlier in 2016-2018, the 1st squadron of this regiment (formerly the 72nd air base) received eight Su-30SM aircraft with blue tail numbers from "70" to "77", and the arrival of the Su-30SM2 under a new contract allowed in 2022 to complete the re-equipment of the 1st squadron of the regiment to the full state and to begin re-equipping the 2nd squadron of the regiment with Su-24M and Su-24MR aircraft.
In general, the supply of Su-30SM2 aircraft under this contract marked the resumption of deliveries of Su-30SM family fighters for the Russian Armed Forces, which had been suspended since 2018. In total, under previous contracts from 2012 to 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense received 116 Su-30SM fighters, of which 22 were delivered to the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy. Thus, now the total number of delivered Russian Su-30SMs has reached 124 units, including 30 for Naval Aviation.
In general, the supply of Su-30SM2 aircraft under this contract marked the resumption of deliveries of Su-30SM family fighters for the Russian Armed Forces, which had been suspended since 2018. In total, under previous contracts from 2012 to 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense received 116 Su-30SM fighters, of which 22 were delivered to the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy. Thus, now the total number of delivered Russian Su-30SMs has reached 124 units, including 30 for Naval Aviation.
Two combat training aircraft Yak-130. On November 21, 2022, two Yak-130 combat training aircraft newly built by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant were handed over to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Presumably, this is the second batch (and the only one in 2022) of Yak-130 aircraft built under a contract for the supply of 25 machines of this type for the Russian Aerospace Forces, concluded by the Russian Ministry of Defense with UAC on August 25, 2020. The first two Yak-130s under this contract were reportedly handed over to IAP by the Aerospace Forces at the end of 2021. The tail numbers of the 2021 and 2022 delivery aircraft are unknown.
Thus, since 2009, the Russian Ministry of Defense has received a total of up to 120 Yak-130 aircraft under various contracts - of which 12 of the first two series were built at the Nizhny Novgorod Aviation Plant Sokol JSC, and the rest - at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.
One of the newly built Yak-130 combat training aircraft of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant of United Aircraft Corporation PJSC (part of the Rostec State Corporation) handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces. Board and registration numbers are retouched. Irkutsk, November 2022 (c) United Aircraft Corporation PJSC
It is also worth mentioning that on January 12, 2022, the first flight built at the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ) named after S.P. Gobunova - a branch of PJSC "Tupolev" (as part of PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation"), the first (experimental) strategic bomber Tu-160M of a new construction. In fact, this aircraft with serial number 8-05 was made from a backlog left over from Soviet times. On December 30, 2022, the UAC announced that this board had completed the stage of factory tests, that is, it had not yet been transferred to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
This aircraft was built under a contract signed on January 25, 2018 by the Russian Ministry of Defense with Tupolev PJSC worth 160 billion rubles for the construction of ten new Tu-160M bombers (also sometimes referred to as Tu-160M2) by 2027. On December 30, 2022, the UAC announced the roll-out and transfer to the KAZ flight test station of the second Tu-160M bomber of a new construction, but this aircraft (probable serial number 9-01) has not yet taken off.
The first modernized Tu-160M strategic bomber (probable serial number 8-05) of the new construction of the Kazan Aviation Plant - a branch of PJSC "Tupolev" (as part of PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation") in the next flight. Kazan, December 2022 (c) United Aircraft Corporation PJSC
Deliveries of combat and combat training aircraft of new production to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2008-2022(c) Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST)
Deliveries of combat aircraft for export from Russia in 2022 seem to have been close to historical lows. In addition, the US sanctions pressure, which intensified even more after the start of the JMD, also led to a sharp reduction in information openness in the field of military-technical cooperation between Russia and foreign countries, as a result of which many Russian deliveries of weapons and military equipment abroad are now not publicly disclosed, and then they are simply hidden, which complicates the analysis.
Reliably in 2022, the following deliveries of new production combat aircraft for export were made:
- two Su-30SME fighters manufactured by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant - to Myanmar. These are the first aircraft under the contract dated January 2018 for the supply of six Su-30SME aircraft to Myanmar. Both aircraft were actually manufactured back in 2019, but only delivered to Myanmar in March 2022 and officially commissioned by the Myanmar Air Force in December;
- six combat training aircraft Yak-130 manufactured by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant - to Vietnam. These are the final aircraft delivered at the beginning of 2022 under the 2019 contract for the purchase of 12 Yak-130 units by Vietnam. The first six aircraft under this contract were delivered in November 2021.
Apparently, the fulfillment of the 2019 contract for the manufacture and supply of 14 additional Su-30MKI(A) fighters to Algeria continued. The first two Su-30MKI(A) aircraft produced by IAP under this contract were delivered in 2021, but there is no reliable information about deliveries under it in 2022.
According to Western reports, in 2022 Russia entered into a contract with Iran to supply it with all or part of the Su-35 fighters manufactured under a "hung" contract in 2018 for the supply of 30 of these aircraft to Egypt. As you know, all Su-35 aircraft were built according to it in 2020-2021, but in the end, none of them were sent to Egypt, and all known Egyptian aircraft are stored in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Zhukovsky. Now it is reported that deliveries of these aircraft to Iran will begin in 2023.
As for the supply of non-combat aircraft to the Russian Armed Forces in 2022, it is worth noting a certain breakthrough in the program for the mass production of Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft at Aviastar-SP JSC (now the Ulyanovsk branch of PJSC Il - Aviastar ” as part of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation) in Ulyanovsk. From April to December 2022, Aviastar handed over five newly built Il-76MD-90A aircraft to the Russian Ministry of Defense at once, which is a record for annual production - aircraft with serial numbers 0208 (registration number RF-78663), 0209 (registration number RF-78664 ), 0210 (registration number RF-78665), 0301 (registration number RF-78666), and 0302 (registration number RF-78667).
All of them, apparently, became part of the 235th military transport aviation regiment of the 18th military transport aviation division of the Military Transport Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, based at the Aviastar factory airfield Ulyanovsk-Vostochny (as a result, the total of the 235th regiment is now has, according to known data, 14 Il-76MD-90A aircraft).
Thus, to date, the Aviastar plant has built and delivered a total of 18 copies (including the prototype) of the Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft and one prototype of the Il-78M-90A tanker aircraft.
The construction of Il-76MD-90A aircraft at Aviastar was carried out under a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense dated October 2012 for the production of 39 Il-76MD-90A aircraft in the amount of 139.42 billion rubles. Due to the strong delay in the implementation of the contract and the increase in the actual cost of aircraft, in May 2020, the Russian Ministry of Defense renegotiated a contract with Aviastar for the supply of Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft under new conditions.
Under the new conditions, under the old contract of 2012, the plant should now have delivered a total of 13 Il-76MD-90A aircraft (and thus, the contract is now completed with the delivery of aircraft 0301), and from 2021 a new contract for the supply of until 2028, 14 such aircraft - the first aircraft built on it was 0302, delivered at the end of 2022.
According to our assessment, in 2023 the supply of combat aircraft to the Ministry of Defense may be increased, which is primarily due to the stabilization effect in the implementation of existing and signed contracts, as well as certain measures to intensify military production within the framework of the SMO.
It is estimated that seven Su-57 aircraft, up to 12 Su-35S, up to 12 Su-34, up to 10 Su-30SM2 and up to 12 Yak-130, can be delivered, as well as one or two strategic bombers Tu-160M of new production ( already built boards 8-05 and 9-01). In military transport aviation, up to four Il-76MD-90A aircraft and the first serial tanker aircraft Il-78M-90A can be handed over.One of the Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft delivered by the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2022 (serial number 0210, registration number RF-78665) of the new construction of the Ulyanovsk branch of PJSC "Il" - "Aviastar" (as part of PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation") . Knevichi (Vladivostok), 11/08/2022 (c) Vladimir Sergeevich / russianplanes.net ( link )