Su-30SMEs for Myanmar

An agreement for the sale of six Irkut Su-30SME multi-role fighters has been achieved at a meeting between Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Myanmar counterpart in mid-January. The news was revealed by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, who added that Myanmar is a traditional customer for Russian weapons systems such as the Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters, in addition to MiG-29 fighters and Yak-130 jet trainers. According to Fomin, the new fighters will be used for defence of the country’s territory and neutralisation of terrorist threats.

The Su-30SME is an export-standard derivative of the Su-30SM supplied to the Russian Air and Space Force and the Russian Naval Aviation service. Alexander Mladenov