Russian combat aircraft exports have been rare, but they continue to occur. In December, the Myanmar Armed Forces received the last two Su-30SME fighter jets from a six-aircraft deal signed in 2018 with the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
The two fighters were received in a ceremony at Meiktila Air Base on December 15.
The deliveries were made in batches of two jets, with the first taking place in July 2022 and the second in December 2023.
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Myanmar Sukhoi Su-30SME (Social media)
The Myanmar Air Force has a large fleet of combat aircraft supplied by Russia and China.
The most numerous fighter is the MiG-29, of which there are 33 active examples, according to World Air Forces 2025, some of which are transferred by Belarus.
There are also A-5, F-6 and F-7 jets, as well as the unusual FTC-2000, a fighter derived from the MiG-21.
In 2015, however, the government signed a contract with Pakistan to receive the JF-17 Thunder, which is produced in partnership with Chengdu, China.
After a standoff between the two countries in 2018, only seven fighters out of 16 ordered were delivered.
The armed forces have used the fighters in attacks against insurgents following the military coup that took place in 2021.
