Having received heavy Su-30 SM fighters from Russia, Minsk is increasing its influence on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The first delivery of four such aircraft occurred at the end of 2019 of the year, and the total number of these combat vehicles, sent to Belarus, should be 12 units.
The Belarusian press writes about it – publication "Belrynok".
The press of Belarus notes, that the total cost of the purchased equipment will be 600 millions of dollars. This is roughly equal to the annual defense budget of this small post-Soviet state.. New fighters are intended for the Air Force and Air Defense of Belarus. Earlier, Deputy Defense Minister of this country for armaments Igor Lotenkov said, that such an option for updating the flight fleet of the Belarusian military aviation was chosen for reasons of budgetary savings.
But since the Su-30SM Western experts of the Military Watch publication consider the most powerful fighter in Europe, they assumed, that the real reason for Minsk's acquisition of such aircraft is hidden from the world community. In their opinion, aircraft will be equipped with long-range missile weapons. It is not excluded, that it will be Russian "Daggers" or some other cruise missiles.
Among others, the resumption of the development of the Belarusian cruise missile "Aist" is being considered, the decision on which can be made in connection with the aggravation of the foreign policy situation. And if the purchased Su-30SM will receive such weapons, then, given the relatively short distances to most European capitals, we can say, that Minsk will receive a serious instrument of influence on the situation in the region.
The range of the Su-30SM heavy fighter is three thousand kilometers. The maximum combat load of the aircraft can reach eight tons.
used photos:Defense Ministry
