Sukhoi Su-30

Su-30
A Russian Air Force Su-30SM
Role	Multirole fighter,[1] air superiority fighter Type of aircraft
National origin	Soviet Union Russia
Design group	Sukhoi
Built by	KnAAPO Irkut Corporation
First flight	31 December 1989; 34 years ago (1989-12-31)
Introduction	1992 (Su-30)[citation needed] 2013 (Su-30SM)[2]
Status	In service
Primary users	Russian Aerospace Forces Algerian Air Force Armenian Air Force Vietnam People's Air Force
Produced	1992–present
Number built	630+[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Developed from	Sukhoi Su-27
Variants	Sukhoi Su-30MKI Sukhoi Su-30MKK Sukhoi Su-30MKM Sukhoi Su-30MKA

The Sukhoi Su-30 (Russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air interdiction missions.

The Su-30 started as an internal development project in the Sukhoi Su-27 family by Sukhoi. From the Su-27UB two-seat trainer, the Su-27PU heavy interceptor was developed. The design plan was revamped and the Su-27PU was renamed to Su-30 by the Russian Defense Ministry in 1996. Of the Flanker family, the Su-27, Su-30, Su-33, Su-34 and Su-35 have been ordered into limited or serial production by the Russian Defense Ministry. Later, different export requirements split the Su-30 into two distinct version branches, manufactured by competing organisations: KnAAPO and the Irkut Corporation, both of which come under the Sukhoi aerospace group's umbrella.

KnAAPO manufactures the Su-30MKK and the Su-30MK2, which were designed for and sold to China, and later Indonesia, Uganda, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Due to KnAAPO's involvement from the early stages of developing the Su-35, these are basically a two-seat version of the mid-1990s Su-35. The Chinese chose an older but lighter radar so the canards could be omitted in return for increased payload. It is a fighter with both air supremacy and attack capabilities, generally similar to the U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle.^[9]

Irkut traditionally served the Soviet Air Defense and, in the early years of Flanker development, was given the responsibility of manufacturing the Su-27UB, the two-seat trainer version. When India showed an interest in the Su-30, Irkut offered the multirole Su-30MKI, which originated as the Su-27UB modified with avionics appropriate for fighters. Along with its ground-attack capabilities, the series adds features for the air-superiority role, such as canards, thrust-vectoring, and a long-range phased-array radar. Its derivatives include the Su-30MKM, MKA, and SM for Malaysia, Algeria, and Russia respectively. The Russian Aerospace Forces operates several Su-30s and has ordered the Su-30SM variant as well.