The Su-22M3 was an export variant of the Su-17 strike aircraft developed by the Soviet Union. Used by different nations around the globe, the Su-22M3 variant employed the airframe of the Su-17M3 and adapted it to use a similar engine to that of the export variants of the MiG-23, in this case, the Tumansky R-29BS-300 engine. Being exported to Syria, Su-22s were employed during the Yom Kippur War and in the 1982 Lebanese War with several losses to Israeli aircraft. During the Syrian Civil War, they were used by the Syrian Air Force to attack rebel forces and suffered limited casualties up to 2015. After that, some were lost to MANPADS, two units were lost to Israeli Patriot missiles, and one was lost to an American F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Introduced in Update "Winged Lions", the Su-22M3 has some differences from its tech tree counterpart, the Su-17M2. It uses a Tumansky R-29 engine similar to the MiG-23M/MiG-27M, and the airframe is that of the Su-17M3, featuring a new forward fuselage layout modified from a two-seat trainer variant. The flight performance is similar, but the Su-22M3 has enhanced payload options: it can carry up to six R-60 missiles for air-to-air combat compared to the Su-17M2's four, and up to four Kh-25ML or two Kh-29L compared to the Su-17M2's two Kh-25 or one Kh-29L. It also has countermeasures, something the Su-17M2 sorely lacks. The 12 flares/chaff capacity is stingy, but they still make the Su-22M3 a less vulnerable target to incoming missiles.