Are Russian Su-30 Fighter Jets Getting Shot Down In Ukraine?

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington D.C.) The Russian Sukoi Su-35 fighter jet emerged in the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a massive global platform operating with more than 12 countries to include China, India, Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, and many others. Iran is also a likely buyer for the Su-35.

But another Russian aircraft these days, the Su-30, seems to get overlooked. 

Russian Aircraft: Meet the Su-30

The aircraft is described by KNAANO as being composed of two key mission areas, including its air-to-air control weapons system and air-to-surface system. Operating at speeds of Mach 2, the Su-30 uses four multi-function control panels in the cockpit to target and destroy ground objectives and also launch Kh-31A anti-ship missiles from the air. This certainly indicates the aircraft operates with a significant flexibility and effectiveness when it comes to lethality. A write up from the United Aircraft Corporation describes the Su-30 as a two-seat cockpit with an airbrake behind the canopy.

Su-30 in Ukraine

As a derivative of the Su-27, the Su-30 has functioned for years as a workhorse fighter jet “bomb truck” which served in combat in Syria in 2015. More recently, multiple reports claim the Russian Su-30 has been very successful in Ukraine against Ukrainian fighter pilots, ground targets, and surface ships. Both Ukrainian and Russian sources report heavy aircraft losses from the adversary for understandable war-information purposes, yet the exact number is difficult to discern in a precise or reliable way.

Perhaps the best information might suggest that air combat losses are roughly equivalent between Ukraine and Russia, according to USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander Gen. James Hecker. Speaking at the Air Force Association and cited in Air and Space Magazine, Hecker said in March 2023 that Ukraine has lost 60 aircraft compared to Russia having lost 70.

Perhaps the best indicator of a potential “stalemate” or uncertainty regarding the performance of Russian aircraft lies in the surprising and even mysterious fact that neither Russia nor Ukraine has achieved air superiority in the war over Ukraine. This fact, seemingly surprising given Russia’s reported massive fighter jet fleet-size advantage, is believed to be due to Ukrainian tenacity, air defenses, “will to fight,” and possibly poor Russian morale and combat performance.