Russia Rushes to Shield Su-57 and Su-35 Factory as Ukraine’s Long-Range Strike Threat Grows

Russia is reinforcing key military aviation sites against Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign, including the only plant that produces the country’s two most advanced fighter jets, the Su-57 and Su-35, Military Watch Magazine reported on July 9.

According to the report, large-scale construction work is underway at the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and at the neighboring Dzemgi airbase.

The plant is Russia’s only facility producing both the Su-57 and Su-35 fighters. Over the past decade, it has received major investment that helped expand production capacity.

Recent satellite imagery, published by OSINT specialist AviVecor, shows that a large new production workshop is nearly complete. Nearby, Russia is also building numerous reinforced aircraft shelters designed to protect some of its most advanced combat aircraft, including Su-57, Su-35S, and Su-30SM2 fighters.

Military Watch Magazine noted that the fortification work at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant appears to be part of a broader nationwide effort to improve the survivability of Russian aviation infrastructure after a series of Ukrainian attacks on airbases deep inside Russia.

Several shelters are being built directly around aircraft already parked on the runway, allowing engineers to improve protection while minimizing disruption to flight operations.

Some of the newly built shelters appear large enough to hold multiple aircraft at once, with several capable of accommodating two or even three fighter jets.

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Category

War in Ukraine

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The nearby Dzemgi airbase also hosts operational fighter units equipped with Su-35 and Su-57 aircraft, making the area one of Russia’s most strategically important aviation sites.

Previously, Russia started building new infrastructure at a military airfield in the Kaliningrad region aimed at protecting aircraft from potential strikes.

The construction of four new aviation hangars began in late April 2026 at the Chkalovsk naval aviation base. The structures appear to feature an arched internal design with square end walls, consistent with protective shelters previously built at other Russian military airfields.

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