Russian Black Sea Fleet Air Regiment loses more than half of Su-30SM fighters

[Starmix]

As reported on August 14, a Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter crashed in the area southeast of Zmeiny Island. With the crash of this aircraft, Russia lost more than half of the Su-30SMs that were in service with the 43rd Separate Naval Assault Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces. This unit is based at the Saki airfield in Novofedorovka, which was captured after 2014. In addition to the Su-30SM, the regiment has up to one squadron of Su-24 frontline bombers. By the start of the full-scale invasion, the regiment had 12 Su-30SMs—the full complement of a squadron, Militarnye reports, citing Military Aviation editor-in-chief Denis Tomenchuk. Assessing the state of the unit, the analyst noted that the first combat loss occurred on March 5, 2022, in the Nikolaev region: then both pilots ejected and were captured. The next loss of an aircraft occurred on August 9, 2022, when Ukrainian forces carried out a precision strike on the Saki airbase. As a result, the Russians lost three Su-30SMs irretrievably, and another was damaged. In addition, five Su-24 bombers were destroyed and three were damaged.

The report also said that the current loss at Zmeinoye has already become the seventh for the 43rd Air Regiment. At the same time, damage is added to the list of losses: on July 1, 2025, a Ukrainian long-range drone UJ-26 "Bober" hit the "Saki" airfield, which led to new damage to equipment. Thus, of the 12 Su-30SMs with which the regiment entered the war, only a small number of machines remain combat-ready.