Malaysia possesses 18 Su-30MKM fighter jets, which as of early February 2024 were reported to be facing a shortage of spare parts due to sanctions imposed against the Russian defense industry. This situation had led to preparations for the potential decommissioning of these Russian-made aircraft.
However, nearly a year later, the situation has changed dramatically, and now Malaysians claim they have successfully updated their fleet of Su-30MKMs, although this statement raises some concerns.
Specifically, the Flight Global portal reported that the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has announced the successful completion of a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for its fleet of 18 Russian-made Su-30MKMs.
The Malaysian military states that the SLEP work was carried out by specialists from the state aerospace corporation Aerospace Technology Systems Corporation (ATSC), which was established to provide technical support for the Su-30MKM. It is also reported that the implementation of this program required an investment of $27 million per aircraft, which in turn has extended the aircraft's resource by 1,500 flight hours or 10 years of operation.
Moreover, as an advantage and additional benefit of the SLEP program, it is claimed that the Su-30MKMs will no longer need to be sent abroad for repairs, which will save the Malaysian government money.
From Defense Express, we would like to add that it is quite possible that there are no significant "hidden pitfalls" in this story, and that Malaysia received assistance from India for the implementation of the SLEP program for its Su-30MKMs. Especially considering that Russia currently faces considerable issues with components, making it difficult to export to other countries.
For instance, there are reports that from 2022 to 2023, the corporation "Irkut," the manufacturer of the Su-30, purchased components for military aviation worth nearly $420 million from abroad, and Malaysia was among the countries from which the Russians were repurchasing their own products.
On the other hand, in October 2024, it became publicly known that the presence of 262 Su-30MKI in India provides a loophole for Russia to obtain French electronics circumventing sanctions. This aspect leaves some room for doubt about whether the repair of the Russian-made Su-30MKMs in the Malaysian Air Force truly occurred without a "Russian trace."
