Russia’s New Su-30SM2 Fighters Struck a U.S.-Built Patriot Air Defence System in Ukraine

The Russian Armed Forces have successfully employed their newest fighter type the Su-30SM2 to launch a strike on a Ukrainian Army MIM-104 Patriot long range surface-to-air missile system, according to a new statement by the state arms export conglomerate Rostec. “Aircraft of this type have confirmed their effectiveness in the special military operation. They have a record of hundreds of destroyed aerial and ground targets, including Patriot systems,” the statement revealed, highlighting the Su-30SM2’s “powerful radar” and resulting ability to “‘see’ farther and more accurately,” as well as its “advanced electronic warfare system” that allowed it it to counter enemy missile attacks. This makes the Su-30SM2 the world’s first multirole fighter type to have been confirmed to have destroyed a Western long range air defence system.

The Russian fighter fleet has been highly constrained in its ability to destroy adversary air defence systems, resulting in a heavy reliance on strikes by drones and Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic missile systems to neutralise these targets. The Aerospace Forces have made limited deployments of fighters armed with Kh-31P anti-radiation missiles, however, which although far from cutting edge, are well optimised for such operations. The Kh-31P isprized for its high speed exceeding Mach 3, with its light weight allowing each Su-30 fighter to carry up to six. The missiles home in on emissions by enemy radars to strike with high precision, and carry warheads weighing close to 90 kilograms. The missile’s relatively short range of approximately 130 kilometres, however, means it cannot be used against longer ranged systems such as the Patriot without placing fighters at some risk, although the possibility of aircraft like the Su-30 approaching at low altitudes has the potential to make such operations possible.

Patriot systems began to be delivered to Ukraine in April 2023, with the United States, Germany and the Netherlands having been the first three to donate them. Questions were at the time widely raised by experts regarding Ukraine’s ability to absorb the systems, which required well over a year of personnel training, fuelling speculation that they would at least initially be heavily reliant on Western contractors to function. The first report of a Patriot system being successfully targeted emerged on May 16, 2023, after an air launched variant of the Iskander-M system’s 9K720 missile was launched against the system in Kiev. Drone footage first confirmed a successful strike on a Patriot system on February 23, 2024, with a subsequent strike destroying another system near the Sergeevka locality on March 10, which left ground forces in the region exposed.

In the second week of July 2024new footage confirmed the destruction of two Patriot launchers in Odessa, while on August 11 three more launchers and an AN/MPQ-65 radar were reported to have been destroyed. Further successful strikes against Patriot systems have continued to follow, with the Iskander-M system having been responsible for the majority. An improvement in the Russian fighter fleet’s ability to tackle advanced long range air defence systems has the potential to complement the advanced capabilities of the ballistic missile arsenal and further accelerate the erosion of Ukraine’s air defence network. The service entry of greater numbers of Su-57 fifth generation fighters, which benefit from stealth capabilities, much greater electronic warfare capabilities, and deployment of significantly more advanced missile types,is expected to further address current shortcomings in the Russian fighter fleet’s ability to dismantle adversary air defence networks.