Leaked Contracts Reveal Kazakh-Russian Scheme to Service Su-30SM Aircraft with French Equipment

An investigation by the international volunteer intelligence community InformNapalm has uncovered how a Kazakh company, Analyst Research Consulting Group (ARC Group), is helping Russia maintain its military aircraft using high-tech French equipment, despite international sanctions. This operation involves servicing Russian Su-30SM fighter jets equipped with avionics from French manufacturers Thales and Safran.

ARC Group was founded in 2014 by Aldanazar Saginbek. Notably, the company holds a distribution agreement with Safran Electronics & Defense, making it the exclusive distributor of Safran products in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. ARC Group’s website states that it primarily serves state bodies and law enforcement agencies, including fulfilling government orders for optical-electronic systems between 2019 and 2020.

Sanctions evasion through Kazakh channels

InformNapalm’s investigation reveals a scheme allowing Russia to bypass Western sanctions and continue operating its military aircraft. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, international sanctions blocked Russia’s access to certified maintenance services for equipment from Western companies like Thales and Safran.

Documents obtained by InformNapalm show that ARC Group, using its certified specialists and equipment, acts as an intermediary, servicing French-made equipment on Russian Su-30 aircraft.

ARC Group first contracted with the Russian firm LLC Rosaviaspetskomplekt in October 2021. This contract openly outlines that ARC Group would repair and supply components of onboard electronic equipment, specifically from Thales and Safran, for Su-30 aircraft. A contract appendix lists specific military products imported to Kazakhstan in 2021 for repair, including devices for pilot navigation such as the SMD55S, SMD66S, TLS2020, TACAN-NC12, HUD 3022, and SIGMA 95NAA.

These contracts may have been backdated, as Thales officially exited the Russian market in June 2022 amid increased sanctions. Correspondence between the Russian firm and ARC Group, dated August 26, 2022, suggests ongoing activities: 13 units were planned for repair in 2022, valued at €1.45 million, with a projected increase to 88 units worth €6.42 million in 2023. Additional agreements signed in October 2022 detailed the financial structure of these services, including the training and certification of Kazakh specialists in France.

Kazakh technicians trained in France

Under this arrangement, Russian funding enabled ARC Group to send its specialists to France for training. A letter dated December 9, 2022, from the head of ARC Group, Petra Hrytsenko, indicated that training was scheduled from January 16 to 20, 2023, with Thales to prepare Kazakh technicians for servicing various avionics systems.

InformNapalm’s access to Russian databases identified key personnel involved in these operations, including Saginbek Aldanazar, Kairat Serikovich Ismagulov (an adviser to the director), Badhaidukh Anwar Hassan Ahmed (Deputy Chief Technologist), and Andriy Yuriyovych Salnikov (a radio mechanic), among others.

This team frequently traveled to Russia for repair tasks, including a recent mission in April 2023 at the aircraft repair plant in Irkutsk—a restricted site requiring special approvals for visiting personnel.

Thales contract with Kazakhstan

The cooperation between Kazakhstan’s ARC Group and Russia’s Rosaviaspetskomplekt has persisted for at least two years, during which the Kazakh company misled the French side by obscuring its true involvement in maintaining Russian military aircraft. Newly obtained correspondence reveals that this collaboration is set to deepen in 2024, with Russia not only seeking trained specialists but also funding ARC Group’s purchase of diagnostic equipment from French manufacturers for use on Russian aircraft.

The investigation also uncovered a draft contract between Thales AVS France SAS and Kazakhstan’s JSC Aircraft Repair Plant No. 405, which outlines a comprehensive service agreement for maintaining multi-function displays SMD55S/SMD66S and collimator indicators HUD3022.

These services include the development and supply of test benches, technical documentation, training in France, and the installation of diagnostic equipment at the Kazakh facility. The contract is intended to run for 34 months from the initial payment and involves a full setup of specialized equipment by French technicians at the Kazakh plant.