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Russia

Aircraft

graph LR
    A{<em>Su-27</em>}
    B[Su-30]
    C[Su-30SM]
    D[Su-33]
    E[Su-34]

    A --- B
    B --- C
    A --- D
    A --- E

    click A href "#su-27"
    click B href "#su-30"
    click C href "#su-30sm"
    click D href "#su-33"
    click E href "#su-34"

Mig-35

Export variant of the MiG-29M2 with:

  • New MFD displays instead of analog instruments
  • RD-33MKB engines that implement thrust-vectoring
  • AESA radar
  • The ability to be armed with ground-attack weapons like bombs

Su-27

Su-30

The Su-30 was originally called the Su-27PU and intended to be a long-range interceptor. The airframe of the Su-27PU, in turn, was based on that of the Su-27UB, another variant intended to be a two-seat trainer.

It entered service in the 1990s as an all-weather multirole two-seat fighter.

It achieved success in the export market:

  • Su-30MKI, jointly produced with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, featured thrust vectoring.
  • Su-30MKM, designed for the Royal Malaysian Air Force, inherited the Su-30MKI's thrust vetoring and added avionics upgrades.
  • Su-30MKK, intended for China, spawned derivatives of its own that were purchased by Vietnam and Venezuela.

Su-30SM

Like the Su-35, a modernized variant of the Su-27 that adds jamming pods and improved communications for the Russian Air Force.

The Su-30SM2 will use the same engine as the Su-35: the AL-41F-1S.

Su-33

The Su-33 is a carrier-based variant of the Su-27 with reinforced undercarriage, rugged landing gear, canards, larger folding wings, and slightly more powerful engines.

Although the concept dates from the late 1970s, when it was initially called the Su-27K, it was only introduced in 1998. It was developed to populate the fighter wings of "heavy aviation cruisers", a hybrid between an aircraft carrier and battleship that was developed by the Soviet Union late in the Cold War. These wings were originally intended to be filled by the Yak-38, which was a disappointment and quickly retired.

Despite the changes made to accomodate carrier-based aviation, it still proved too big and did not have all the payload delivery features necessary.

Efforts to export the Su-33 to China and India fell through, however China did reverse-engineer it to create the J-11B. India elected to purchase the more advanced MiG-29K. Russian Naval Aviation has been the Su-33's only operator. In 2009, the several dozen Su-33s in service began to be replaced by [MiG-29K][#mig-29k]s.

Su-34

Fighter-bomber variant of the Su-27, designed by Rolan Martirosov.

Ground Forces

Battalions can be subordinate to brigades or regiments, depending on context. Brigades are more self-contained, whereas regiments are themselves subordinate to divisions.

VDV

Modern VDV units can be divided by mode of entry into airborne and air assault units.

Historically, airborne troops were controlled by the Soviet General Staff for strategic objectives: capturing command and control nodes, political targets, etc deep in enemy territory. Air assault forces, in contrast, generally operated heavier ground equipment and had operational objectives to support ground forces. Some air assault forces had been under the control of military districts but since 2013 have been consolidated into the VDV.

Both air assault and airborne platoons consist of 3 squads in their own IFVs, either the BMD-2 or the BMD-4M. Each IFV can only mount 7 personnel, of which two are the driver-mechanic and gunner-operator who remain with the vehicle after infantry dismount. Apparently the deputy platoon commander stays in the vehicle as well, providing a total of 14 dismounts per platoon.

Airborne and air assault companies combine three such platoons with a Headquarters Section made of two additional IFVs. Air assault companies add a Grenade-Machine Gun Section in its own APC.

Three such companies in combination with reconnaissance and support platoons and a medical section, form the core of a battalion. Air assault battalions add a mortar battery with six tubes.

BMD-2

Introduced in 1985, an IFV with a 30 mm cannon.

BMD-4

Introduced in 2016, an IFV with a 100 mm cannon.