According to Russian national media, the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) received 21 new combat aircraft during 2021. With six aircraft, the Su-34 type fighter bombers take the largest share of these. Four were manufactured according to the latest version of the Su-34 NVO. This has provision, among other things, for reconnaissance systems in underwing containers.
These aircraft were manufactured under a three-year contract for 24 new Su-34s. Therefore, in order to comply with the terms of the contract, the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (manufacturer of the Su-34) is obliged to deliver nine aircraft per year in the next two years. By the end of 2021, the Russian industry had produced a total of 145 Su-34s, including seven pre-production aircraft. Of the Su-35S fighters, five new aircraft were delivered in 2021.
At the moment, the VKS operates up to 103 Su-35S fighters. In 2022, the Gagarin Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Su-35S manufacturer) will deliver seven new fighters of this type to VKS.
Of the Su-30SM2 multirole fighters, four aircraft for the naval aviation wing of the Baltic Fleet were delivered in 2021. This was the first delivery of Su-30SM to the Russian Armed Forces since 2018. According to current data, the Russian Federation has 120 Su-30SM aircraft with 26 in service in the naval aviation of the Russian Navy.
Also last year the Russian Aerospace Forces received the last two of the six ordered MiG-35 fighters ordered under a contract 2018. Finally, the VKS received the first two new YAK-130 combat training aircraft under a contract covering the delivery of 25 such vehicles.
Russian Air Force Transport Types
A separate story is the supply of new Il-76MD-90A aircraft for the VKS military transport aviation. Formally, in 2021, the Russian military received five new aircraft of this type. However, three of them are the “tail” of the unfulfilled delivery plan for 2020. These aircraft were produced under the 2012 contract for 13 new Il-76MD-90A with deliveries to be concluded by 2023.
In 2021 a new contract between the Russian MoD and the Aviastar-SP plant in Ulyanovsk was concluded for 14 more Il-76MD-90As to be delivered by 2028.
Russian media released unofficial statistics on the export of the Russian military aircraft. The statistics include:
- six to 12 YAK-130 combat trainers to Vietnam
- 10Mig-29M/M2s and two Su-30MKAs for Algeria
- two Su-30SME fighters for Myanmar
