A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet belonging to the Algerian Air Force has crashed in the country’s Adrar province, resulting in the death of the pilot, according to local reports.
The incident occurred on March 18, and footage shared on social media shows a large column of smoke rising from the crash site.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKA is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia’s Sukhoi made for the Algerian Air Force. A variant of the Sukhoi Su-27S, it is a heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter.
The Su-30MKA is tailor-made for Algerian specifications and integrates Indian systems and avionics as well as French sub-systems. It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-37 with which it shares many features and components. The first Russian-made Su-30MKA variant was accepted into the Algerian Air Force in 2007. Algeria currently has 63 Su-30MKAs in inventory as of December 2023.
Algeria received its most recent batch of Su-30s in 2016/17. Five years ago, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crashed in the evening of January 27, 2020, during a routine exercise, in the commune of Ain Zitoun, northeastern Algeria.
The aircraft belonged to the 121st fighter squadron of the Algerian Air Force and was on a night training mission. Both the pilot and the navigator were killed.
Algeria has been modernizing its air force, and reports of Su-35 acquisitions have circulated in recent months. A video previously posted by the user “Algerian Star Ship” showed what appeared to be an Su-35 flying over Algeria, further fueling speculation about its introduction into the country’s fleet.
In 2019, Algeria ordered an additional 16 Su-30MKA and 14 MiG-29M/M2 fighter jets for $1.8 mill excluding weapons and training. These will complement the 58 Sukhois and MiGs already in service with the Algerian Air Force.
In March 2022, an Algerian MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’ fighter plane crashed near the air base in Posfer, in the northwestern part of the country, near the city of Oran. The MiG-29 fighter jet crashed immediately after taking off from the Bousfer air base in the second military district.
In 2016, Algeria was interested in acquiring the Su-34 strike aircraft from Russia but it seems little came of those discussions.