Throughout 2025, Russia has continued to strengthen its ties with its closest and most important ally in Europe, Belarus. This has been reflected in various deliveries and transfers of military equipment intended for the Belarusian Armed Forces, with the most notable case being the Sukhoi Su-30SM2 fighter jets. This is confirmed by what is, to date, the third and latest delivery of aircraft produced by the Irkutsk manufacturing plant, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
In recent months, Moscow has been promoting the renewal of certain segments and military capabilities of Belarus, materialized through various agreements reached with Minsk. By way of review of what has been recorded during the current year now drawing to a close, mention can be made of the deliveries of Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems, the latter received by Belarus at the end of last November.
However, the most prominent segment continues to be the renewal of the combat aviation of the Belarusian Air Force, which required the urgent incorporation of advanced platforms. This was due to the fact that a large part of its aircraft inventory dates back to the times of the Soviet Union, as evidenced by MiG-29BM and MiG-29S fighters, as well as Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft.
Thus, and through agreements with Moscow, Minsk embarked on the modernization of part of its combat aviation through the incorporation, in the first instance, of advanced Yakovlev Yak-130 trainers, intended both for pilot training and instruction as well as for attack missions.
Once the training process of new pilots on these Russian trainers had progressed, Russia began the delivery of the first batches of Su-30SM combat aircraft, received years ago, and subsequently started, during 2025, the incorporation of the more advanced Su-30SM2 fighters.
Although no further official details were provided, deliveries of Su-30SM2 aircraft were recorded throughout the year in the months of May and August, which would indicate that the Belarusian Air Force may already field a combined fleet of up to twelve (12) Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 aircraft, according to existing projections.
Nevertheless, and as reported by the country’s Ministry of Defense, on December 26 a new batch of Su-30SM2 aircraft arrived in the country. In this regard, the Ministry issued a brief statement which, however, offers a perspective on future aircraft deliveries, stating that: “these aircraft will undergo the technical training process at the air base and, within a maximum period of two weeks, will assume the mission of protecting the airspace of our beloved Homeland,” adding subsequently: “This is not the last batch: in the future, new equipment will continue to arrive, and the defensive capability of our air borders will continue to increase.”
In this way, and by way of conclusion, it can be presumed that the current agreements with Russia for the acquisition of new combat aircraft include the delivery of additional Su-30SM2 fighters, projecting an increase in the Belarusian fleet in the coming months—something that could also extend to other platforms currently in service with the Belarusian Armed Forces.
Photographs: Belarusian Ministry of Defense.
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