Russia to sign $1.6 bn contract with UAC for 48 Su-35 multirole fighter aircraft

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World Aviation Defense & Security News - Russia
 
 
 
Russia to sign $1.6 bn contract with UAC for 48 Su-35 multirole fighter aircraft
 
Russian Ministry of Defense will sign a contract with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) for delivery of 48 Su-35 multi-role fighters at MAKS-2015 airshow, Interfax-AVN reports with reference to sources close to the aircraft industry and the Russian defense ministry.
     
Russian Ministry of Defense will sign a contract with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) for delivery of 48 Su-35 multi-role fighters at MAKS-2015 airshow, Interfax-AVN reports with reference to sources close to the aircraft industry and the Russian defense ministry. Russia's Su-35 multirole fighter aircraft
     
The value of this contract will be around 100 billion rubles,” said in the statement published on Tuesday. Su-35 fighter was developed at the initiative of Sukhoi Company (the jet performed its maiden flight in February 2008) without participation of the Ministry of Defense (using own and borrowed funds). The aircraft is manufactured by Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant.

The contract for delivery of 48 jets of the type worth 66 billion rubles was signed in 2009, however, the production costs have increased. Russian air forces should take delivery of the last vehicles delivered under this contract in 2015; at the same time Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu ordered to complete the state testing of the new vehicle in 2015,” said in the statement.


According to Interfax-AVN, in case of signing a contract with China this year, Russian aircraft industry will secure orders for a total of 118 fighters in 2015: 46 MiG-29s for Egypt, 24 and 48 Su-35 for China and Russian air forces respectively. Moreover, a contract for delivery of four Su-30SM fighters to Kazakhstan may also be signed.

According to the expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Konstantin Makienko, this contract will become the largest one signed by Russian air forces since 2012, when large contracts for delivery of 92 Su-34 bombers and 60 Su-30SM fighters were signed. “I doubt that such large contracts may be signed by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the coming years,” the expert said.