Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW
China is close to signing a contract for between 30 and 50 Sukhoi Su-30MK twin-seat multirole fighters. Preliminary agreement on the deal is understood to have been reached during the recent visit of a senior Chinese military delegation to Russia.
In addition to the negotiations in Moscow, the delegation visited the Russian Far East and toured KnAAPO in Komsomolsk-on-Amur where Sukhoi Su-27 fighters are built.
China took delivery of its first batch of 26 Su-27 fighters (24 Su-27SK single-seaters and a pair of Su-27UB twin-seaters) in 1992, which was followed by a second batch of 36 Su-27SKs and 12 Su-27UBs. The third phase of deliveries was marked by a licence agreement to produce 200 Su-27SKs in five years at the Shenyang plant in China. The first Shenyang-assembled Su-27SK flew in December last year.
Concerned by India's growing fleet of Su-30MKIs - 16 of 40 on order have been delivered - China intends to strengthen its air force with a multirole fighter tailored to its needs.
China's aircraft will be designated Su-30MKK and, like those for India, will eventually be fitted with thrust-vectoring Lyulka Al-31FP engines.
The crash of one of the two Su-30MK prototypes at the Paris air show is a setback for the development programme, but IAPO Irkutsk, which manufactures the Su-30, has a stockpile of airframes, one of which could be converted to the Su-30MKI configuration to compensate for the loss.
China is reported to have asked for an extension to the Su-27 production licence, and is interested in buying the Su-37, the single-seat fighter equipped with thrust-vectoring. As India is negotiating a licence to build the Su-30MK at the Hindustan Aeronautics plant in Bangalore, China is likely to request the same arrangement.
The standard policy of Russia's export authorities is to sell a significant number of Russian-built aircraft before sanctioning local assembly. Typically, Russia retains control of key elements such as engines.
Source: Flight International
