Mi-35Ms and Su-30SMs for Kazakhstan

Abatch of four more Mi- 35M attack helicopters and two additional Su-30SM multi-role fighters have reportedly been delivered to the Kazakh Air Force. The batch of four Mi-35Ms had been airfreighted from the factory at Rostov-on-Don during November 2016 and delivered to the 405th Aircraft Factory at Almaty International Airport for reassembly and flight testing. Although Kazakhstan has previously taken delivery of older Mi-24 variants, these are the first Mi-35s to enter service in Kazakhstan, which government has signed for a further four Mi-35Ms for delivery in 2018. Meanwhile, the Kazakh MoD announced delivery of the two Su-30SMs from Irkutsk Corporation on 27 December, being the fifth and sixth of the type to be delivered to this country, following the first four in 2015: the initial two arrived on 7 April. It is reported there are plans to eventually acquire 36 Su-30SMs with deliveries expected to extend through to 2020.