Second SU-30SM enters flight testing

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MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A second Su-30SM multirole fighter designed and developed for the Russian military by JSC Sukhoi Design Bureau is being flight tested.

The first Su-30SM aircraft performed its maiden flight Sept. 21 and the second Sept. 25.

The Su-30SM is a specialized version of the thrust-vectoring Su-30MKI, which features avionics from international sources. It is a twin-engine, long-range aircraft for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Its radar, radio and recognition systems, support systems and weaponry configuration was changed from those of other MK aircraft in accordance with specific Russian air force requirements.

The second fighter's initial flight test, performed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, took place at the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and lasted 1 hour 40 minutes. The aircraft "passed flawlessly," said the Irkut Corp., through which the Russian Ministry of Defense ordered the planes.

Russia's Ministry of Defense has ordered 30 of the planes, all of which are to be delivered by 2015.