Russia may export new Su-35 fighters to India, Malaysia, Algeria

Russia may export new Su-35 fighters to India, Malaysia, Algeria FARNBOROUGH, July 16, 2008 - Russia is ready to export the new state-of-the-art Su-35 Flanker multirole air superiority/strike fighter to India, Malaysia and Algeria, Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Tuesday. "Algeria, Malaysia and India are our partners and if they express an interest, we will offer them the Su-35 fighter while fulfilling our current obligations," Alexander Mikheyev, head of the air force department at Rosoboronexport, said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti at the Farnborough International Air Show in England. In 2007, Sukhoi, which is part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, exported about 50 Su-30MK2, Su-30MKM and Su-30MKI aircraft under contracts with a number of countries, including Algeria, India, and Malaysia. The company is planning to export at least 160 Su-35 fighters in the future, Sukhoi's deputy head Sergei Korotkov said at a news conference in Farnborough on Tuesday. "The [Su-35] aircraft has attracted a lot of attention," Korotkov said. "As part of our business plan, we expect to sell about 160 planes." The Su-35 fighter, powered by two 117S engines with thrust vectoring, combines high maneuverability and the capability to effectively engage several air targets simultaneously using both guided and unguided missiles and weapon systems. The aircraft features the new Irbis-E radar with a phased antenna array, which allows the pilot to detect and track up to 30 air targets, while simultaneously engaging up to eight targets. It is equipped with a 30-mm cannon with 150 rounds and can carry up to eight tons of combat payload on 12 eternal mounts. Sukhoi earlier said it plans to start deliveries of the new aircraft, billed as "4++ generation using fifth-generation technology," to foreign clients in 2011 and produce Su-35s over a period of 10 years up to 2020.