The Sukhoi Su-30MKK (NATO reporting name: Flanker-G) is a modification of the Sukhoi Su-30, incorporating advanced technology from the Sukhoi Su-35 variant. The Su-30MKK was developed by Sukhoi in 1997, as a result of a direct Request for tender between the Russian Federation and China. It is a heavy class, all-weather, long-range strike fighter, and like the Sukhoi Su-30, comparable to the American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. The Sukhoi Su-30MK2 is a further improvement to Su-30MKK with upgraded avionics and maritime strike capabilities. The MKK and MK2 are currently operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force, Indonesian Air Force, Vietnam People's Air Force, Venezuelan Air Force and the Ugandan Air Force.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) leadership became concerned by the United States Air Force's (USAF) expanding defended-airspace-penetration and precision-strike capability during the 1990s. As defensive orientated tactics were dropped and more aggressive stances were adopted, the requirement for a heavy fighter with a large combat radius and a precision-guided munition employment capability was placed upon the political leadership of the People's Republic of China.

During a visit to the Russian Federation at the end of 1996, Chinese Premier Li Peng signed an agreement worth US$1.8 billion to purchase 38 advanced Multirole combat aircraft. Technical negotiations started right away.

Sukhoi saw enormous potential to meet China's requirement with its Su-30MK, while incorporating technology from the Su-27M, to develop a new fighter that preserved the type's iconic tall and thick Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer fins as fuel tanks for longer range. The type was to be designated as Su-30MKK ("Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy Kitayski" - Modernized Commercial for China).

Final details of the agreement were settled during the Zhuhai Air Show in 1998. The official agreement was signed in Russia by the Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji in March 1999. That same month, a "Bort 501 Blue" prototype made its first flight at the Zhukovsky Air Base. In November 2000, "Bort 502 Blue" attended the Zhuhai Air Show and a month later the first batch of ten Su-30MKK was delivered. A second batch of 10 were delivered on 21 August 2001, with the third batch of 18 following in December. In July 2001, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, signed a deal for a further 38 aircraft.

In the year 2002, the two countries were negotiating on the purchase of the Su-30MK2 for the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). The variant had a revised weapon control system for the Kh-31A air-to-surface missile. A contract for 24 aircraft to be built by KnAAPO was signed in early 2003. All were delivered in 2004.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Chinese PLAAF Sukhoi Su-30MK2 "Flanker-G" fighter known as "White 17". Pre-order! Ship Date: January 2025.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-inches
Length: 12-3/4-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Up-to-Date" - Su-30MKK shares compatibility with Su-35 in terms of hardware, but in terms of software, Su-30MKK differs from Su-35 (Flanker-E) on a much greater scale in comparison to Indian Su-30MKI because of different mission requirements by China. The Flanker family aircraft has the problem of the reduction of maximum g-force level being decreased to 7g from the 9g at speed between Mach 0.7 to Mach 0.9, and this problem was completely solved on Su-30MKK by adopting new measures. According to the Sukhoi Design Bureau, Su-30MKK is the first of the Flanker family to achieve it after Su-35 / 37 (Flanker-E/F) and Sukhoi Su-30MKI. A higher percentage of composite material is used for the Su-30MKK in comparison with the original Su-30MK. In addition, a new aluminum alloy were used to replace the old type used on Su-30MK for weight reduction.

The twin rudders mainly made of carbon fiber composite material were larger on Su-30MKK in comparison to that of the original Su-30MK, but contrary to what was once erroneously claimed by some western sources, Sukhoi Design Bureau revealed later that the increased space in the rudders were used for additional fuel tanks, instead of larger communication UHF antenna. The capacity of the fuel tanks in the wings is also increased. A twin nose landing gear of size 620 mm x 180 mm has replaced the single nose landing gear of size 680 mm x 260 mm used on Su-30MK to accommodate the increased weight. The maximum take-off weight and weapon load are increased to 38 tons and 12 tons respectively, but this extreme limit is often avoided by taking off at lighter weight. It was rumored that the Chinese pilots were not as experienced as Russian test pilots when operating at this extreme limits, which contributed to the crashes at least partially. The original K-36 ejection seat on Su-30MK is replaced by K-36M ejection seat for Su-30MKK.