Su-30 crash underscores Algeria’s air force dilemma

An Algerian pilot died in a crash of a Su-30 fighter, in yet a new incident in a series of recurrent crashes in recent years that highlight the dilemma of the aging Algerian air force fleet.

The crash took place while the aircraft, which was older than the pilot, was on a training mission in Adrar in the country’s south.

Algeria has lost in recent years dozens of Russian-built aircrafts, mostly due to the aging fleet and lack of proper maintenance.

Algeria received its most recent batch of Su-30s in 2016/17. Five years ago, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crashed in the evening of January 27, 2020, during a routine exercise, in the commune of Ain Zitoun, northeastern Algeria.

The most recent crash, however, involved a Russian-made helicopter killing three near the airport in the oasis town of El-Meniaa.

Frequent crashes

Algeria boasts the biggest military budget in Africa with an over dependence on Russian weapons, combined with a lack of international experience. The frequent airplane crashes and accidents in the Algerian air force fleet are but a tree that hides a forest of mismanagement and a lack of strategy.

The accident however comes in a series of tragic events caused by military plane crashes. In March 2018, 12 soldiers died in a helicopter crash.

Two months only after a tragic air crash in 2018 of a Russian-built Ilyushin killing 257 soldiers including 26 polisairo members, a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft overshot the runway in Biskra’s airport leaving 8 injured.

These accidents indicate that the Algerian military is undergoing a crisis of doctrine. Back in the 1970s, following Algeria’s independence, its military rulers adopted a strategy inspired by their guerrilla warfare against France combined with the Soviet military doctrine emphasizing the importance of land forces, notably tanks and the artillery.

Little attention was paid to the air force which is the backbone of modern armies due to its decisiveness in terms of undermining the centre of gravity of opponents before engaging in land warfare.

Analysts see that the Algerian air force is much underdeveloped with low skill pilots lacking battlefield experience.

Lack of proper maintenance was also exacerbated by the Russian war effort in Ukraine making it harder for Algeria to receive technicians and spare parts on time.