They seem to be a factor in Iraq and Syria. Not sure about what they do in near Afghanistan.
The Rooskies like them.
When's the last time you heard of an Iraqi fighter plane last more than 3 minutes in the air?
As for Syria, it's not surprising - they have zero resistance in the air and since they're flying over primarily Syrian/Russian friendly airspace the chances of them ever taking flack and having to test their mettle without shatting their britches are somewhere near zero.