According to a report by the Belarusian Ministry of Defense on June 26, the Belarusian Air Force deployed a Su-30SM fighter jet for a rapid combat readiness exercise. ,” the ministry's report said. This is part of a wider surprise readiness review of the Armed Forces that started on June 21 and includes ground force training operations in forests and swamps as well as the use of drones and electronic warfare assets. As Russia's only security partner in Europe, Belarus has increasingly strained relations with the Western bloc and feels a growing threat from NATO's large-scale troop buildup in Eastern Europe, including Poland's armed forces, mainly through the purchase of ground equipment from South Korea. Rapid modernization of the force and the acquisition of F-35 stealth fighter jets from the United States. Belarus' relations with the Western world soured in 2020 after Minsk claimed Western support for major protests and riots that threatened to overthrow the government, and worsened after an open war broke out in February 2022 between its security partner Russia and Western and Ukrainian forces.
The Belarusian Air Force has chosen the Su-30SM as its main fighter model as the successor to the MiG-29, and the new aircraft is by far the heaviest, longest-range, and largest-radar aircraft in Europe. However, the aircraft's operating costs are much higher than those of the MiG-29, meaning they are unlikely to be procured in comparable quantities and the fleet size is expected to be reduced by around a third, ultimately accommodating around two dozen Su-30SMs. The choice of the Su-30 over the MiG-29 over its similarly sized counterparts (such as the MiG-29M or MiG-35) is believed to have been influenced by two main factors, including the perception that the larger, more capable aircraft had a higher cost-effective aircraft, and the need for maximum compatibility with front-line Russian air forces, which consist almost entirely of Su-30SM or heavier aircraft such as the Su-34 or MiG-31. The Belarusian Air Force currently has 4 Su-30SMs in service, and has ordered 8 more. It is expected that 12 more will be ordered in the future.
The Su-30SM is a close derivative of the Su-30MKI developed for the Indian Air Force. It blends the capabilities of the original Su-30 long-range interceptor with technology from the canceled Su-27M and Su-37 air superiority fighters, and is essential to the Russian fleet. Said it was too expensive. These include the use of the Su-37's NO11M radar, one of the first electronically scanned array radars ever integrated into a fighter jet, as well as the Su-35's controlled canards, AL-31FP engines and thrust vectoring nozzles. In simulated combat exercises, the fighter quickly demonstrated its comfort capability advantages over competitors such as the British Eurofighter and the American F-15. The Su-30SM builds on these capabilities, making greater use of Russian indigenous subsystems and integrating the more advanced N011M Bars radar, with a maximum detection range of 400 kilometers and a search range of 200 kilometers. It also incorporates a wide-angle heads-up display, new identification friend or foe and communications systems, and compatibility with the SAP-518 jamming pod. The aircraft is compatible with a range of advanced munitions, including the R-37M long-range air-to-air missile, which has proven highly effective in the Ukrainian theater, and will reportedly be compatible with the Kh-32 anti-ship cruise missile in the future.