(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Faced with “issues” plaguing its JF-17 “Thunder” aircraft, Myanmar, which is grappling with insurgencies by armed groups within the country, has confirmed that it has begun receiving MRCA Sukhoi Su-30SME fighter aircraft from Russia.
Speaking to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Myanmar’s Minister of Commerce, Charlie Than, stated that the Southeast Asian nation has received two of the six Russian fighter aircraft.
“Two of these fighter aircraft have already been received by Myanmar,” he said to the news agency while attending the Eastern Economic Forum in the city of Vladivostok, located in far eastern Russia.
Myanmar and Russia signed a contract to acquire six Su-30SME fighter aircraft in 2018. Yangon is said to have received two of these advanced fighter aircraft last year but did not make any official statements about it until the Minister of Commerce informed the Russian news agency.
However, Myanmar’s leadership has not disclosed the date for the receipt of the remaining four Su-30SME aircraft. The Su-30SME fighter aircraft acquired by Myanmar is a variant of the popular Su-30 “Flanker” fighter aircraft used by several other countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
The presence of two Su-30SME fighter aircraft in Myanmar is said to be of great assistance to the country, especially when its JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft was reported to be grounded due to various operational issues.
The JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft of the Myanmar Air Force was developed jointly by Chinese company Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
In 2018, Myanmar agreed to acquire 16 JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft, making it the first export market for this particular fighter aircraft, which was also offered to Malaysia.
The Myanmar military junta government has reportedly expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with Pakistan regarding ongoing technical issues faced by its JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft, leading to them being declared “unfit for operations.”
“All 16 JF-17 fighter aircraft supplied to Myanmar have been declared unfit for operations due to various technical and structural issues that Pakistan has failed to resolve,” according to local media in Myanmar.
Pakistan’s failure to address the various issues faced by Myanmar’s JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft has caused tension in bilateral relations between Yangon and Islamabad.
The Myanmar government is reported to be highly frustrated with the problems faced by the Pakistan and China-made JF-17 “Thunder” fighter aircraft, especially when the Southeast Asian country is dealing with a serious armed insurgency by several groups within the country.
Local media in Southeast Asian countries facing serious security challenges have also suggested that other nations are having second thoughts about acquiring the JF-17 fighter aircraft due to the issues faced by these aircraft in Myanmar.
Myanmar has emerged as the first country outside Pakistan to possess JF-17 fighter aircraft, estimated to be worth between US$15 million to US$25 million each, which is significantly cheaper compared to other fourth-generation fighter aircraft available in the market. — DSA