The Russian Defence Ministry is going to order in the near future from Irkut Corp. a batch of Su-30SM two-seat supermanoeuvrable multirole fighters derived from the Su-30MKI aircraft exported by the company. Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov told the media that a contract was in the pipeline for 28 aircraft for the Russian Air Force with 12 options that could be fielded with the air arm of the Russian Navy. The order is to be placed next year, but the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant is already making two first Su-30SMs intended to enter the test programme in the configuration approved by RusAF. According to Alexander Veprev, Director General, Irkutsk Aircraft Plant, the two Su-30SM prorotypes will be able to launch their trials before year-end.

The production and delivery of Su-30MKI family fighters is IrkutТs most successful programme in the past decade. Since 2000, more than 170 production-configuration warplanes of the type have been delivered, including knockdown kits for licence production in India. The Su-30MKI orderbook has swelled up to 292 aircraft and expected to hike up to 374, once the anticipated new order for 42 extra Su-30MKIs has been awarded by India and the Russian Defence Ministry has placed its order for 40 Su-30SMs.

To date, Irkut has fulfilled the contracts for 90 Su-30MKIs for India (the first deal was made in 1996, with two more in 2007), 28 Su-30MKI(A) for Algeria under the 2006 contract and 18 Su-30MKMs for Malaysia under the 2003 contract. Deliveries of Su-30MKI knockdown kits to India carry on under the contract for 140 fighters, and a new batch of Su-30MKI(A) aircraft is being prepared for shipping to Algeria under the second contract for 16 aircraft, which was signed in 2010. The manufacturing plantТs Director General Alexander Veprev told the media that the company had made 38 Sukhoi aircraft and knockdown kits of the type last year.

Taking into account the orderbook, the Su-30MKI production will have continued in Irkutsk until the second half of this decade at the least.