Documents
Russia Sukhoi
Su-30SM
Two-seat, thrust-vectoring multirole derivative of the Su-30MKI developed for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy, combining long range, heavy payload and super-maneuverability. Widely exported to Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and other CIS states.
In service since 2012 · 4 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
2,125
km/h
3,000
km range
17,500
m ceiling
8,000
kg payload
1
T/W
💲 ≈ $50,000,000 — Estimated unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Russian state channel
Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.
Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)
Fielded & proven
Established · 4 operators
In service since 2012. Status: active · ~130 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$125M – $175M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 2,125 km/h Stronger than 54% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.9 Mach Stronger than 47% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 3,000 km Stronger than 49% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 1,500 km Stronger than 85% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 17,500 m Stronger than 64% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 1 Stronger than 59% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 12 Stronger than 86% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 8,000 kg Stronger than 63% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- Khibiny EW suite, chaff, flares
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 21.9 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 14.7 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 6.4 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 17,700 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 34,500 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Saturn AL-31FP thrust-vectoring afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 123 kN Stronger than 62% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 9,640 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- N011M Bars passive electronically scanned array
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- OLS-30 infrared search and track
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $50,000,000 Stronger than 55% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 130 Stronger than 29% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 4 Stronger than 68% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Sukhoi and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Sukhoi Su-30SM? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM has a maximum speed of 2,125 km/h.
What is the range of the Sukhoi Su-30SM? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM has a maximum range of 3,000 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Sukhoi Su-30SM? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM can carry up to 8,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-30SM weigh? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM has a combat weight of 34,500 kg.
How many crew does the Sukhoi Su-30SM require? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM requires a crew of 2.
What is the main armament of the Sukhoi Su-30SM? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM's primary weapon is the 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon.
What engine does the Sukhoi Su-30SM use? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM is powered by the 2x Saturn AL-31FP thrust-vectoring afterburning turbofans.
What is the Sukhoi Su-30SM used for? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat, deep strike.
How many countries operate the Sukhoi Su-30SM? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM is operated by 4 countries.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-30SM cost? +
The Sukhoi Su-30SM has an approximate unit cost of 50,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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