Belarusian Air Force Receives New Mi-35 Attack Helicopters and Su-30SM2 Fighters

<p >New Mi-35 attack helicopters have been delivered to the Belarusian Armed Forces, and are set to shortly be operationalised by the country’s air force, according to an announcement from the Belarusian Defence Ministry on May 30. "New Mi-35M combat/transport helicopters have arrived in Belarus as part of military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation," the ministry reported. Chief of the Main Staff, First Deputy Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defence Troops Sergey Frolov elaborated regarding the aircraft: "The Mi-35 is a heavy upgrade of the Mi-24 helicopter. As of today, the helicopter is capable of accomplishing a full range of combat objectives. This helicopter will shortly assume combat duty.” Earlier in the week, the delivery of Russia Su-30 fighter aircraft the country was also reported, with a number of sources indicating that these were enhanced Su-30SM2 variants, rather than the baseline Su-30SM variant the country previously procured. The Belarusian Defence Ministry ordered 12 Su-30SM fighters in June 2017 under a $600 million contract, with the shift towards procuring the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/top-five-potential-clients-for-russia-s-new-su-30sm2-super-sukhoi-upgrade-package" target="_blank">newer Su-30SM2</a> potentially having been a contributor to the delays in delivering the aircraft. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/31/article_683ac067ae6ce4_46279476.jpg" title="Belarusian Mi-24P Attack Helicopter with Rocket Pods"></p><p >The Belarusian Air Force <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/belarusian-rotary-aviation-era-mi35" target="_blank">received</a> its first batch of Mi-35 helicopters in August 2023. The country’s attack helicopter fleet was previously comprised of modernised Mi-24s inherited from the Soviet Union, which played an important role in military planning and reportedly retained high degrees of combat readiness. The aircraft played <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/belarusian-military-helicopters-neutralise-propaganda-balloons-sent-from-nato-territory-tensions-expected-to-worsen">prominent roles </a>during heightened tensions with NATO members in late 2020. Unlike the more costly <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/mi28-russia-ukraine-tank-hunting">Mi-28 </a>and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-vikhr-destroy-bradley-ukraine">Ka-52</a>, the Mi-35 is not <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/worlds-most-dangerous-attack-helicopters">purely an attack helicopter</a>, and can also serve as a troop transport in a limited capacity. Procurement was considered vital due to the growing age of the Mi-24 fleet, with the new helicopters introducing significantly more modern fire controls and more efficient airframe designs. The deliveries are taking place at a time of high tensions between Belarus and neighbouring Poland, and as Warsaw is investing heavily in transforming its ground forces with the planned procurement of <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/poland-moves-ahead-purchase-180-skorean-k2-tanks" target="_blank">1000 South Korean K2 tanks</a> and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/polish-army-receives-new-batch-abrams" target="_blank">366 American M1 Abrams tanks</a>, 484 South Korean K9 155mm mobile howitzers, and 96 American AH-64 attack helicopters, among a range of other assets. The Mi-35 and AH-64 are considered close competitors in terms of performance, although the scale of Polish orders is eight times as large. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/31/article_683ac0a8a8d252_35213056.jpg" title="Belarusian Air Force Su-30SM (front) and MiG-29 Fighters"></p><p >Belarus’ <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/belarus-su30sm-snap-combat-readiness" target="_blank">procurement</a> of Su-30 fighters allows the county to phase out approximately one third of its fleet of MiG-29 fighters inherited from the Soviet Union, with the fate of remaining units operating MiG-29s being uncertain. The decision to procure the Su-30SM is thought to have been heavily influenced by the need to increase compatibility with the Russian Air Force, as the fighter class forms the backbone of its fleet. The aircraft have significantly superior manoeuvrability, carry far larger more powerful sensors suites, and benefit from much longer ranges, than any other fighters operated by European states. The SM2 variant improves on the capabilities of the baseline Su-30SM with the integration of the AL-41F1S engines from the Su-35 fighter, which significantly improve its flight performance and increase its range, while also reducing maintenance needs and the time required before the engine’s replacement. The fighters provide the Belarusian Air Force with the ability to employ new generations of air-launched weapons including the R-37M and R-77M long range air-to-air missiles, the former which is by far the<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-unveils-new-r-37m-hypersonic-air-to-air-missile-deployed-from-elite-su-35-fighter" target="_blank"> longest ranged weapon</a> of its kind deployed by a European state.</p>