According to the Voyennoye Obozreniye (Military Review) news website, Russia delivered a batch of Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft to Kazakhstan in late December. The official bodies did not specify the number of aircraft received by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the contract. According to some reports, the country’s air force received two Su-30SM fighters.
It is notable that Chinese media are actively commenting on the reports on Kazakhstan’s purchase of fighter aircraft from Russia.
They note that the Russian-made aircraft were delivered to Air Base 604 of Kazakhstan’s air force, with Chinese experts stressing that ‘these Su-30SM fighters have a broader range of functions than those that had been previously delivered to China’. However, it is not reported what criteria the experts use to assess the functions, having solely photo images.
When commenting the reports in local media, Chinese users echoed the topic, saying the aircraft received by Kazakhstan are ‘better’ and asking whether China can modernize and upgrade the Sukhoi fighter jets previously purchased from Russia.
The question seems rather odd, especially considering that Chinese media have just recently reported that the Republic of China Air Force ‘should not be interested’ in the previous generation aircraft as the 5th generation (the 4th under China’s identification) jets have already been accepted for service by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. It is worth noting that Chinese pilots criticized those statements, saying that putting the 5th generation fighters into service does not mean a need to refuse the use of the 4th generation jets.
The sheer fact that China is showing active interest in the modernization of the air force of Kazakhstan, which is one of its neighbors, proves that a prospect for Russia entering the competition with China in Kazakhstan’s arms market looks rather possible. It should be considered that competition can be provided by Chinese manufacturers: China makes no secret of the fact it has things to offer as regards inexpensive armaments. The quality of these armaments is a separate issue.