Russian Combat Aircraft with AESA

There's seems to be a common delusion that Russias only combat aircraft with an AESA radar is the Su-57. This is categorically false.

 
First, production aircraft with AESA fire control radars. 


Su-57 with N036 Byelka multi positional GaAs/GaN system with slotted planar/radiator and patch antenna arrays. Entered production in 2019 with over 50 made. 


Su-35S with the N036KL GaAs Wing radars with improved radiator arrays. Entered production in 2012 with over 200 made. 


Su-30SM2 with the N036KL GaAs Wing radars with planar arrays. Entered production in 2019 with over 40 made. 


We can see the N036KL radars on the bare frames 

Su-30SM with normal wings 

SM2 with the N036KL Wing radars 

35S
N036KL antenna  exposed  

Brochure 


This is because the SM2 uses the Irbis-E radar and the KL Wing radars come as a radar package, an off shoot of how the old Su-37 used to have a rear radar. 

Irbis-E and N036KL package 


Su-34M with both the Kopyo-DL rear facing GaAs radar with a slotted planar array and the RBB-3 Pika-M used on the UKR-RL SLAR AESA radar pod. It entered production in 2019 with over 60 made. 


MiG-35D with the FGA-29 Zhuk-A GaAs AESA radar with a patch antenna array. It entered production in 2019 with 2 made. 



Ka-52M with the V006 Rezets GaAs AESA radar with a patch antenna array. It entered production in 2021 with over 70 made. 



Ka-27M with the FHA03E GaAs AESA radar with a patch antenna array. It entered production in 2014 with over 80 made. 



S-70 Okhotnik-B with the MBRLS-MF2 GaAs AESA radar with a slotted planar array. It entered production in 2024 with over 6 made.



That's 8 combat aircraft all in production and all using AESA. 


Now we have either Prototypes or offered for upgrade


Yak-130M with the BRLS-130R GaAs AESA radar with a slotted planar array. 


Mi-24PN-1M with the V006 Rezets GaAs AESA radar with a patch antenna array. 


Mi-171Sh Storm with the VN-101 Zaslon utilising a patch antenna array. 


Su-75 with the N036 Byelka GaAs AESA radar. 

FGA-35 Zhuk-AD for export MiG-35E or MiG-29 upgrades. 


FGA-50 Zhuk-AM with GaAs AESA radar with a patch antenna array for export Su-30 upgrades. 

That's a further 6 radars offered for 10 different airframes. So we have 8 production combat aircraft with AESA and over 500 produced. 

wHy cAnT rUsSiA pRoDUcE aN aIrCrAft wItH aEsA


Sources 

https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/russias-ka-52m-combat-helicopter-to-receive-aesa-radar

https://trudymai.ru/eng/published.php?ID=73354

https://id.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkas:Zaslon_VN-101_X-band_Radar_AESA_at_Army-2022.jpg

https://en.topwar.ru/227810-rossijskij-udarnyj-vertolet-ka-52m-osnastjat-podfjuzeljazhnoj-rls-krugovogo-obzora.html

https://en.topwar.ru/168684-razrabotka-otechestvennyh-malogabaritnyh-rls.html

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/su-70.htm 

https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/air/aviation-defence-industry-technology/russia-creates-new-generation-of-shipborne-helicopter-radars 

https://en.topwar.ru/246544-morskaja-aviacija-tof-popolnilas-modernizirovannymi-vertoletami-ka-27m.html

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-03-22/modernized-ka-27m-helicopters-join-russian-navy

https://ruavia.su/su-34-frontline-bombers-are-equipped-with-a-new-stratospheric-strike-and-reconnaissance-system/

https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/russia-presents-new-pika-m-reconnaissance-radar-for-su-34/

https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/russian-air-force-adapts-su-34-fighter-bomber-for-reconnaissance-missions-over-ukraine

https://www.key.aero/forum/modern-military-aviation/30305-new-phazotron-radars-kopyo-dl-and-arbalet-d?page=1

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2022/07/07/russia-acquired-new-su-34ms-with-rear-hemisphere-scanning-radar/ 

https://www.russiadefence.net/t4804p775-su-35s-news 

https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/sukhoi-su-35/ 

https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/su35-triple-radars-detect-stealth 

https://aviationunion.ru/upload/medialibrary/d9e/Dj_G_I_3_U_15042016.pdf 

http://old.aviationunion.ru/Files/Nom_9_GRPZ_2014.pdf 

https://ausairpower.net/APA-2009-06.html 

https://www.deagel.com/Components/BRLS-130R/a004563 

https://ruavia.su/yak-130m-prototypes-continue-to-take-shape-in-irkutsk/ 

https://www.defensemirror.com/news/17525/Russia_Unveils_FGA_50_AESA_Radar_For_MiG__Sukhoi_Jets_At_Chinese_Air_show 

https://www.keymilitary.com/article/2-part-filcrum-through-decades 

https://forum.dcs.world/topic/35489-russian-radar-discussion/

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/phazotron-niir-zhuk-radar-family.52/ 


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