Itar-Tass,
IRKUTSK: Russian aircraft-makers will begin supplying Su-30MKM fighters to Malaysia in 2006, officials at the Irkut research and production corporation told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
Although the 900-million-dollar contract to manufacture 18 Su-30MKM aircraft was signed in the summer of 2003, the parties began its implementation in the beginning of this year.
A group of Malaysian Air Force experts has come to the city of Irkutsk to specify the procedures to purchase equipment and materials.
Earlier, Russia supplied several dozen such planes /Su-30MKI/ to India.
The aircraft is a multi-purposes fighter intended for winning air superiority and destroying ground and seaborne targets. It can fly missions at a considerable distance from the base, in all weather conditions, day and night, and amidst electronic warfare.
Aside from the manufacture of 18 Su-30MKM, the contract envisions their servicing in Malaysia, with subsequent modernization, if necessary.
To this end, Irkut, the head company, will open a service center in Malaysia
