Article Posted on : - Mar 26, 2012

Su-30 aircraft

MOSCOW (BNS): The Russian Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Irkut Corporation for the delivery of 30 Su-30SM multirole fighters.

Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov who signed the deal said, the entry of the modern two-seat supermanoeuverable aircraft into the Russian Armed Forces will significantly increase the combat power of the Russian Air Force.

Under the terms of the contract, Irkut Corporation will deliver the aircraft by 2015.

The Su-30SM is a two-seat derivative of the earlier Su-27UB and the MKI variant supplied to India. It is capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with a wide variety of precision-guided munitions. The aircraft features thrust-vectoring engines to enhance maneuverability.

The multirole Su-30SM fighter designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau is manufactured by the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of JSC Irkut Corporation.