During the 1980s, the Soviet Union and its allies began adopting upgraded variants of the Su-17 fighter-bomber, which was exported as the "Su-22" for Soviet allies. The East German air force would receive 48 of the latest Su-22M4 fighter bomber, along with 8 of the twin-seat Su-22UM-3K trainer aircraft. The German Su-22s would serve as a frontline strike aircraft for the Warsaw Pact countries, and as a primary line of attack during a possible war with NATO. The Su-22M4s would remain in East German service until the re-unification of Germany, when almost all of the German Su-22s were either scrapped or sold off as they were incompatible with NATO hardware and standards. Only a few Su-22M4s were kept and repainted in Luftwaffe liveries for briefly serving as evaluation and testing aircraft.

Introduced in Update "La Royale" as a continuation of the fighter-bomber line, following its weaker brother, the Su-22UM3K, in the tech tree, the Su-22M4 is the top-range Su-17/22 model, and is nearly identical to the Su-17M4 in the Soviet aircraft tree. This aircraft is characterized by its upgrades over its predecessor in the tree, mainly in that it can carry advanced guided ordnance such TV guided weapons in addition to the familiar laser guided ordnance. The aircraft is also no slouch in the air-to-air department either, now carrying over 250 countermeasures and the all-aspect R-60MK missiles, delivered swiftly to the enemy's location using the upgraded engine and avionics. All in all, this aircraft serves as a true titan of multirole performance for the aircraft of the German top ranks, excelling at both air to air and air to ground tasks, making it a force to be reckoned with in mixed battles.