Russia has world's third-largest combat aircraft fleet, according to World Air Force Report 2022. USA is at the top spot while China is at second position. Amid the ongoing Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been sending SOS calls for more military assistance to pause/push back the advancing Russian forces in his country’s territory. The European Union has put up a united front by pledging unprecedented assistance to deter Russia’s Putin from achieving his geopolitical ambitions. The EU countries will be sending “fighter jets”, as announced by the bloc’s policy chief Josep Borrell. Hence, it becomes important for us to study in depth the inventory of the Russian Air Force which will play a critical role in deciding whether President Putin achieves his objectives or not. So, here’s a list of top 10 fighter and other military aircrafts in service of the Russian Air Force:
1. Sukhoi Su-57 Sukhoi Su-57 is a stealth, multirole fighter jet developed by Sukhoi. It is the first combat aircraft in Russian military service designed with stealth technology. It took its first flight in 2010 and was introduced in service in 2020. It is a single seater jet which has a length of 20.1m, wingspan of 14.1m and height of 4.6m. The maximum take-off weight is 35,000kg. The maximum speed is Mach2/2135 kmph and Mach1.3/1400kmph in cruise mode. It is powered by twin-Saturn AL-41F1 engines, each producing a thrust of 88.3kN. It is armed with air-to-air, air-to-ground, anti-ship as well as anti-radiation missiles. It boasts Byelka radar (400km tracking range) with a N036-1-01: Frontal X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
2. Sukhoi Su-35/Su-27M Sukhoi Su-35 is an improved technological derivative of the Su-27 fighter jets. It was designed by Sukhoi Design Bureau. It is a single seater jet which has a length of 21.9m, wingspan of 15.3m and a height of 5.9m. The maximum takeoff weight is 34,500kg. The maximum speed is M2.25 (2400kmph) at altitude, Mach1.13 (1400kmph) at sea level. The combat range is 1600km. It is powered by twin Saturn AL-41F1S afterburning turbofan engines, with each engine producing a thrust of 86.3kN (137.3kN afterburner). It is armed with R-27ER/ET, R-73E/M, R-77M/P/T, R-74 and R-37 air-to-air missiles. It is also armed with 3M-54AE1 and kh-31A/AD anti-ship missiles. It boasts Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar with a detection range of around 350km. It took the first flight in 1988 anwas inducted into service in 2014.
3. Sukhoi Su-34 Sukhoi Su-34 is an all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber aircraft. It has been developed from Su-27. It is a twin-seater jet which has a length of 23.34m, wingspan of 14.7m and a height of 6.09m. The maximum take-off weight is 45,100kg. The maximum speed is 1900kmph/Mach1.8 at altitude. It has Mach1.2/1400kmph at sea level. It has a combat range of 1100km. It is powered by twin Saturn AL-31FM1 afterburning turbofan engines, each producing a thrust of 132kN. It is armed with R-27-R/ER/T/ET, R-73 and R-77 air-to-air missiles. It is also armed with kh-29L/D/T, kh-38 MAE/MKE/MLE/MTE and kh-25 ML/MT air-to-surface missiles. It boasts V004 passive electronically scanned array radar. It took its first flight in 1980 and was inducted into service in 2014.
4. Sukhoi Su-30 Sukhoi Su-30 is a supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It has been developed from Su-27. It is a twin-seater jet which has a length of 21.935m, wingspan is 14.7m and a height of 6.36m. The maximum take-off weight is 34,500kg. The maximum speed is Mach2/2120kmph. It is powered by twin-Saturn AL-31FL/FP engines, each with a thrust of 74.5kN. It is powered by R-27R/ER/T/ET/P air-to-air missiles. It is also powered by kh-29TE/L and kh-59M/ME air-to-surface missiles. It is equipped with Bars planar array radar with a maximum range of 400km. It took its first flight in 1989 and was introduced in service in 1996.
5. Sukhoi Su-27 Sukhoi Su-27 is a supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It was a direct competitor to the fourth-generation jets produced by the US such as F-15 Eagle. It is a single-seater jet which has a length of 21.9m, wingspan is 14.7m and a height of 5.92m. The maximum take-off weight is 30,500kg. The maximum speed is Mach2.35/2500kmph. It is powered by twin-Saturn AL-31FL engines, each with a thrust of 75.22kN. It is powered by R-27R/ER/T/ET/P/73E air-to-air missiles. It is equipped with Phazotron-NIIR N001E radar with a maximum range of 80-100km. It took its first flight in 1977 and was introduced in service in 1985.
6. MiG-35 Mikoyan MiG-35 is a multirole fighter jet. It was designed by Mikoyan and is a fourth-generation fighter jet. It is a single/twin-seater jet which has a length of 17.3m, wingspan is 12m and a height of 4.7m. The maximum take-off weight is 24,500kg. The maximum speed is Mach1.7/2100kmph (at altitude). It is powered by twin- Klimov RD-33MK afterburning turbofan engines, each with a thrust of 52kN. It is powered by R-27R/ER/T/ET/P air-to-air missiles. It is also powered by kh-29TE/L and kh-59M/ME air-to-surface missiles. It is equipped with Zhuk-ME passive electronically scanned array radar with a maximum range of 120km. It took its first flight in 2016 and was introduced in service in 2019.
7. MiG-29 Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation fighter jet. It was developed by Mikoyan design bureau. It is a single-seater jet which has a length of 17.32m, wingspan is 11.36m and a height of 4.73m. The maximum take-off weight is 18,000kg. The maximum speed is Mach2.25/2400kmph. It is powered by twin- Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofan engines, each with a thrust of 49.42kN. It is powered by R-27R/ER/T/ET/P, R-60/73 air-to-air missiles. It is equipped with Phazotron Zhuk-ME radar with a maximum range of 120km. It took its first flight in 1977 and was introduced in service in 1982.
8. Yakolev Yak-130 Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) developed by Yakovlev (Russia) and Aermacchi (Italy). It is a twin-seater jet which has a length of 11.49m, wingspan is 9.84m and a height of 4.76m. The maximum take-off weight is 7250kg. The maximum speed is Mach0.86/1060kmph. It is powered by twin- Ivchenko-Progress AI-222-25 turbofan engines, each with a thrust of 24.52kN. It is equipped with 8GHz to 12.5GHz Osa or Oca (Wasp) radar developed by NIIP Zhukovsky with 85km detection range. It took its first flight in 1996 and was introduced in service in 2010.
9. Tupolov Tu-160 Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by Tupolev Design Bureau. it is the largest and heaviest combat aircraft, the fastest bomber in use and the largest and heaviest variable-sweep wing airplane ever flown. It is a four-seater jet which has a length of 54.1m, wingspan is 55.7m (wings at 20 degree) and a height of 13.1m. The maximum take-off weight is 2,75,000kg. The maximum speed is Mach2.05/2220kmph (at altitude). It is powered by four- Samara NK-321 afterburning turbofan, each with a thrust of 137.3kN. It is powered by R-27R/ER/T/ET/P air-to-air missiles. It is armed with Raduga Kh-55SM/101/102/555 cruise missiles and AS-16 Kickback short-range nuclear missiles. It took its first flight in 1981 and was introduced in service in 1987.
10. Ilyushin II-76 Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing airlifter designed by Ilyushin design Bureau. It was a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It is a 5-crew. Its length is 46.59m, wingspan is 50.5m and height is 14.76m. The maximum takeoff capacity is 195000kg. The maximum speed is 900kmph/Mach0.82. It is powered by four Soloviev D-30KP turbofans, each producing a thrust of 117.7kN. It took its first flight in 1971 and was introduced in 1974 into service.
