An international investigation has revealed that Russian Su-30SM fighter jets, used in the war in Ukraine, were being repaired in Kazakhstan with French-made components.
Facilitated Through Kazakh Company
This process violated sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014, which banned the export of military parts. The Kazakh company ARC Group facilitated the illegal repairs, sourcing parts from French defense giants Safran and Thales.
ARC Group, established in 2014, quickly gained the necessary licenses to repair military aircraft in Kazakhstan, according to Portal O'bronny.
It became an official representative of Safran and Thales in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Although repairs were supposedly for Kazakh Su-30SM jets, many components ended up in Russian jets deployed in Ukraine.
Claimed Parts Used for Kazakh Planes
The investigation found that ARC Group signed a contract with a Russian company in 2021 to repair and supply radio-electronic equipment from Thales and Safran for Russian Su-30 jets.
This directly violated the 2014 sanctions prohibiting the export of military components to Russia. To avoid detection, ARC Group claimed the parts were being used for Kazakh planes.
The Su-30SM is a Russian fighter jet based on the Su-27 platform, equipped with advanced Israeli and French avionics. Although Russia adopted these jets for its own use, Kazakhstan, a close ally, purchased 24 of them between 2015 and 2017.
Following the report, Thales confirmed that they had trained Kazakh personnel but denied delivering components directly to Kazakhstan. Safran, however, provided an evasive response, stating they complied with sanctions since 2014 but offering no details about their relationship with ARC Group.
