8 December 2025
Recently, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published a video of a raid by Ukrainian drones on military facilities of the Russian occupation forces in Crimea. During this attack, a MiG-29 fighter was hit on the territory of the Kacha military airfield, and a day later, a Su-24 front-line bomber. Ukraine regularly destroys Russian tactical aviation, but here’s the question: how many combat aircraft does Russia produce per year?
More details about this can be found in the material of the joint project OBOZ.UA and the group “Information Resistance”.
Irretrievable losses
Before analyzing in detail the capabilities of the Russian Federation in this area, I would like to note that Russian enterprises do not produce the aircraft that were destroyed in Crimea. Today, they can provide repair, maintenance, and sometimes modernization of MiG-29 and Su-34 aircraft, but their production has long ceased. Therefore, the loss of such units is literally irreversible.
As for the MiG-29, it is generally a very interesting specimen, since it is a light fighter. As of today, Russia does not have any serial light fighters and they are represented either by Soviet remnants of the MiG-29, or by several units of the stillborn MiG-35.
Of course, someone might recall the almost fifth-generation light fighter Su-75 Checkmate, but we won’t consider mock-ups as a mass-produced aircraft , right?
https://t.me/uaobozrevatel/199761
Production
During the entire period of the existence of such a formation as the Russian Federation, the peak of tactical aviation production was only in 2014 – 101 aircraft! This was the first and only year in 35 years when the number of combat aircraft transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces exceeded a hundred aircraft. After that, a process of decline and, in a sense, stagnation of production began.
In the following years, the Russian Armed Forces were transferred to:
2015 – 89 aircraft;
2016 – 72;
2017 – 49;
2018 – 51;
2019 – 20;
2020 – 23;
2021 – 20;
2022 – 29;
2023 – 26;
2024 – 28.
As we can see, for the last six years in a row, the Russian military aircraft industry has been unable to jump beyond 30 aircraft per year. But let’s consider what the situation was during 2025 – taking into account the fact that December is not over yet and Russia may arrange pretentious “holiday” programs for the New Year.
Transfer of aircraft to the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2025
Su-34
In 2025, the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after V.P. Chkalov (NAZ) delivered 12 Su-34 front-line fighter-bombers . They were delivered in six batches: April 19, July 10, August 12, September 15, October 6, and November 7.
Today, the Su-34 is the most mass-produced Russian aircraft, and NAZ has reached a production volume of an average of 1-2 aircraft per month.
To date, this aircraft factory has produced 194 Su-34 aircraft, of which 7 are experimental and pre-production models. It is difficult to say how many of the transferred machines are in combat-ready, flying condition.
According to verified Su-34 losses, the Russian Air Force has lost 41 aircraft of this type since 2022. According to unverified figures, more than 80.
Su-35
As of December 2025, the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant named after Yu.O. Gagarin (KnAAZ) had transferred six batches of Su-35 multi-role fighters to the Russian Air Force, two aircraft each, or a total of 12 aircraft. The transfers were made on March 29, May 12, June 25, August 21, September 24, and November 1.
As of December 2025, since 2009, the Russian Air Force has received 135 production Su-35S aircraft.
According to verified Su-35 losses, the Russian Air Force has lost 8 aircraft of this type since 2022. According to unverified ones, more than 25.
https://t.me/uaobozrevatel/170968
Su-57
Since the beginning of 2025, KnAAZ has transferred to the Russian Air Force one batch of almost fifth-generation Su-57 multi-role fighters in the amount of two aircraft. The transfer took place on April 12 at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport.
In November, Vadim Badekha, CEO of United Aircraft Corporation, PJSC, said that a foreign customer had received the first batch of Su-57E fighters. Most likely, this was an order from Algeria, and the first batch could have included a standard pair of aircraft.
Thus, we can say that as of December 2025, KnAAZ was able to produce four Su-57 aircraft. Most likely, at the end of this month, on the eve of the new year, another batch of two machines will be transferred.
Su-30
In 2025, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAZ) manufactured and transferred to the Russian Ministry of Defense a batch of two Su-30SM2 fighters . The transfer process was carried out on November 21, and both aircraft were assigned to the 4th Guards Naval Assault Aviation Regiment of the 34th Mixed Aviation Division of the Baltic Fleet.
It is noteworthy that to date this is not only the first and only transfer of the Su-30SM2 to Russian units this year, but also the first transfer to the naval aviation of the Russian Navy in two and a half years.
It is worth noting separately that this year the Belarusian Air Force received four Su-30SM2 fighters from Russia, two units each – on May 28 and August 15.
This gives some idea of the volume of aircraft the Irkutsk Aviation Plant can produce per year – an average of six aircraft, although there is a nuance here. The aircraft transferred could well be old Su-30s that have been upgraded to the “SM2” modification.
Yak-130
As for the Yak-130V combat training aircraft, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant did not provide a single batch for the needs of the Russian Air Force in 2025.
Since 2020, IAZ has delivered five batches of Yak-130s under a contract that was to deliver 25 aircraft by 2025. For unknown reasons, the implementation of this contract is stalling.
Conclusions
As of today, the Russian Air Force has received 28 aircraft. The most massive deliveries were made by Su-34 front-line bombers (12 units) and Su-35S multi-role fighters (12 aircraft).
The production of tactical aviation in Russia today does not even demonstrate the indicators that were observed in the mid-2010s, which clearly indicates technical and technological stagnation.
One or two more transfers of produced batches are expected to be carried out by the end of the year, but even this factor will not have a critical impact on the change in average statistical indicators.
Meanwhile, the production of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets by the American Lockheed Martin Corporation has already exceeded 130 vehicles and by the end of 2025 may become a record, exceeding the figure of 160 aircraft.