After Su-27UBK, Vietnam continues major repairs to Su-27SK

Following the success of the major repair and extension of the service life of the Su-27UBK fighter jet numbered 8526, Factory A32 continued to work with the pair Su-27SK 6001/6003.

Factory A32 is the leading facility of the Technical Department - Air Defense - Air Force in overhauling, major repairs, and extending the service life of fighter aircraft from Su-22M, Su-27SK/UBK to Su-30MK2.

In 2016, Factory A32, with technical assistance from Ukrainian experts, extended the service life of the Su-27UBK fighter jet numbered 8526 after it had been in use for 20 years.

The success of the major overhaul and repair program for the Su-27UBK fighter (2-seat version) has created the premise for the unit to carry out similar content for the Su-27SK variant (1-seat version).

Two Su-27SK fighters are undergoing major overhaul and repair at Factory A32.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - SIPRI, during the period 1995 - 1996, Vietnam received from Russia a total of 12 Su-27 Flanker heavy air superiority fighters in both Su-27SK and Su-27UBK versions.

According to the manufacturer Sukhoi, the maximum service life of the Su-27 fighter is 20 years or 2,000 flight hours, which is an average of 100 hours of air operations per year. Therefore, in 2016, it is time for them to be put into maintenance.

In a report published in Tuoi Tre newspaper, technical staff of Factory A32 said that after extending its service life, the Su-27UBK fighter jet with serial number 8526 will be able to serve for another 8-9 years, enough time for the Vietnam Air Force to advance to more modern generations of fighter aircraft.

Technical staff of Factory A32 are carrying out overhaul work on Su-27SK fighter.

The success of restoring the combat capability of the Su-27UBK with serial number 8526 will certainly make the officers and engineers of Factory A32 more confident when carrying out work with the pair of Su-27SK with serial numbers 6001 and 6003 on the assembly line. With an average progress of 1 pair of Su-27SK/UBK per year, it is expected that the process of renovating the above fighter jets will be completed before they require storage, helping to maintain the combat capability of the Vietnam People's Air Force.

In addition, this is also a premise for the Vietnamese defense industry to move forward with similar content with the next generation of Su-27SK/UBK, the Su-30MK2, and it is not even possible that the next pair of Su-27s will be upgraded to the Su-27SKM or Su-27UBM standard with ground attack capabilities equivalent to the Su-30MK2./.

According to Baodatviet