Russia’s Fighter Jets Depend on Western Technology

A newly released report sheds light on a surprising weakness in Russia’s advanced fighter jets, the Su-34 and Su-35S.

Despite extensive Western sanctions, it turns out that 68 percent of the electronics in these Russian jets come from American manufacturers, while an additional 16.2 percent originate from Japan.

The report, “PARTS OF THE PROBLEM: Tracing Western Tech in Russia’s Deadliest Jets”, was prepared by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) in collaboration with the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and Hunterbrook Media.

NAKO has mapped the origins of 1,115 out of the 1,119 electronic components in the aircraft.

Among the identified suppliers are tech giants like Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Intel, and Murata. Besides the USA and Japan, the electronics also come from EU countries, Switzerland, Taiwan, and South Korea.

This Western electronics reportedly reach Russian factories through a vast network of intermediaries and shell companies based in countries like China, Hong Kong, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and certain EU countries.

The issue is underscored by previous reports from last year revealing how French companies like Thales and Safran unwittingly contributed to the maintenance of Russian fighter jets through third parties in Kazakhstan.

Russia’s modern Su-30SM aircraft continue to be equipped with Western components, despite international sanctions and monitoring mechanisms.

The revelations of the report raise important questions about the effectiveness of sanctions and the Western countries’ ability to control the export of technological components.

The Western technology has thus become an involuntary counterpart to Russia’s military ambitions, where the companies in question have unintentionally supplied critical components to enable the Russian jets to operate on the battlefield.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.