Ukrainian Drone Strikes Continue to Take Toll on Russian Air Force: New Attack on Crimean Airbase Destroys Su-30SM Fighter

A drone attack launched by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) on a Russian airbase in Crimea on August 4 has damaged multiple fighter aircraft, and destroyed at least one Su-30SM fighter. “As a result of the strike on the airfield, a stockpile of aviation munitions was hit. A Su-30SM fighter jet was completely destroyed, another was damaged. Additionally, three Su-24 bombers were struck,” a report from the agency stated. The extent of damage to other fighters remains unknown, although the possibility remains significant that more than one fighter was destroyed. The SBU claimed that “a single Su-30SM fighter jet may cost between $35 and $50 million,” although this was the aircraft’s price for export including spare parts and munitions. The Su-30SM’s actual cost to the Russian Defence Ministry is estimated at approximately $12 million, compared to around $17 million for the Su-35, and $35 million for the Su-57, although this can vary greatly depending on exchange rates.

The latest attack on a Crimean airbase closely follows a call by German Army Major General Christian Freuding for further Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian airfields. “You can also indirectly affect the offensive potential of Russian strike forces before they are deployed,” Freuding stated at the time, adding: “Use long-range air warfare assets to strike aircraft and airfields before they are used. Also, target weapons production facilities.” Significant support from Western personnel on the ground and access to satellite intelligence have been key to facilitating such attacks, as has the tremendous supply of parts and funding to sustain drone production in Ukraine. Russia has recently responded to repeated attacks on its airfields by building new hardened shelters for its fighters, with footage released by the British Ministry of Defence in late July confirming their construction at multiple airbases.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces achieved an unprecedented success in targeting Russian airfields on June 1, when a large scale drone attack was launched under Operation Spider’s Web, destroying multiple Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers at airbases across the country. The strikes caused losses from which the Russian strategic aviation fleet is expected to take years to recover. Ukrainian strikes have frequently achieved more minor successes targeting airbases hosting tactical combat aircraft such as Su-34 strike fighters and MiG-31 interceptors. Crimea has been particularly intensively targeted in Ukrainian strikes, including attacks on beaches, key infrastructure such as bridges, as well as military targets including air defence systems. Most recently on June 28 an SBU drone attack on Crimea’s Kirovske Airfield destroyed a number of helicopters including at least one Mi-28 attack helicopter.

The Su-30SM has been procured by the Russian Aerospace Forces since 2009, and is a close derivative of the Su-30MKI developed for the Indian Air Force, which merged the capabilities of the original Su-30 long range interceptor with technologies from the cancelled Su-27M and Su-37 air superiority fighters. This included integration of one of the first phased array radars ever integrated onto a fighter, namely the N011M developed for the Su-37, as well as AL-31FP thrust vectoring engines. The Su-30MKI quickly demonstrated comfortable capability advantages over competitors such as the British Eurofighter and American F-15C/D during simulated combat exercises, with the Su-30SM later building on these capabilities with greater use of indigenous Russian subsystems, and with integration of a new improved sensor suite. The Su-30SM was initially intended to serve as a stopgap until the Su-57 fifth generation fighter entered service in 2015, although major delays to the program led the Defence Ministry to procure far more Su-30s than had been intended.