Sukhoi in a record deal for supply of fighters to the Russian Air Force

Moscow: Russia's ministry of defence and the Sukhoi Joint Stock Company on Tuesday signed a 80 billion ruble ($2.5 billion) contract for the supply of 64 Sukhoi-series fighters to the Russian Air Force, the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin said.

Under the contract signed at the MAKS-2009 air show at Zhukovsky outside Moscow, the Russian Air Force will be supplied with 48 Su-35S, 12 Su-27SM and four Su-30M2 fighter jets.

According to prime minister Vladimir Putin, the contract "sets a record in modern Russian history." He said aircraft deliveries would be completed by 2015.

Putin also said the Russian government would provide an additional $100 million to Sukhoi's capital from the federal budget. The head of Vnesheconombank (VEB), Vladimir Dmitriyev, said the national development bank would grant Sukhoi a 3.5 billion-ruble ($109 million) loan to start production of Su-35 jets.

The Su-35 is a 4++ generation aircraft employing technologies of the fifth generation and, according to Sukhoi, it is a far superior aircraft as compared to all other 4th generation fighters now under development worldwide. Sukhoi claims that the fifth generation technologies employed in the aircraft will ensure that the Su-35 will dominate the world market, outperforming other proposed multi-role fighters.