ArmInfo. The purchase of Su-30SM fighters from Armenia by Russia is fully capable of pushing Azerbaijan to purchase the newest fighters in response. This opinion was expressed by ArmInfo chief editor of the Russian magazine "Arms Export" Andrei Frolov."Information about such intentions of Baku appears quite a long time.
In particular, we are talking about the Pakistani-Chinese fighters JF-17 or FC-1. Undoubtedly, the purchase of a much larger number of such aircraft than the 4 fighters acquired by Armenia will allow Azerbaijan to significantly strengthen its air force. And I think that it's Russia's sale of the Armenian SU-30SM can finally push Baku to a reciprocal acquisition of fighters, "the expert believes.On February 4, the press secretary of the Armenian Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan officially confirmed the conclusion of a contract with Russia for the purchase of four fighters by Armenia. According to him, four fighters - only the first batch, in the future will be purchased more aircraft of this model.
The total number of Su-30CMs planned for procurement, as well as the amount of the transaction, is not reported.Armenia's acquisition of a multipurpose, capable of hitting and on the ground of the Frolov aircraft, as a whole, assesses positively. However, given the limited number of purchased Su-30CMs, one cannot expect a serious shift in the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Especially considering the large number of modernized MiG-29s on the balance of the Azerbaijani Air Force.
Given the costly operation of the Su-30SM for a small military budget of Armenia, the acquisition of these aircraft, in the opinion of the expert, will be a rather serious burden. However, Frolov does not exclude that Moscow could provide Yerevan with favorable purchasing conditions, which put the high cost of operating heavy fighters into the background. In this light, he also pointed out the possibility of Armenia obtaining armaments at Russian domestic prices as a member state of the CSTO.It should be noted that, at the domestic prices, the cost of the Tu-30SM varies within a billion rubles or $ 15 million.
The cost of export options- in the range of $ 50-70 million. According to insider information, the agreement between Yerevan and Moscow provides for the acquisition of Russian fighters at Russian prices within the framework of the alliance of the two countries in the CSTO.