Cairo and Moscow have signed a $2 billion dollar contract for the purchase of more than 20 Russian Su-35 multi-role air-defense fighters and air-launched weapons.
The deal was enacted as early as the end of 2018 with delivery expected to start in 2020-2021, according to two unnamed top executives in the Russian defense sector, as quoted by business daily Kommersant.
The supply contract is set to maintain a full capacity output at Russia’s largest aircraft-manufacturing plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Far East for several years to come, one of the sources said.
The Su-35 is a multi-purpose fighter jet, designed by Sukhoi on the basis of the legendary Su-27 twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. The first prototypes of the Su-35 were rolled out in 2007 and production began in 2009. The jet is followed by the fifth-generation PAK-FA stealth fighter.
With 12 to 14 weapons hard points, the Sukhoi Su-35 is able to use K-77M radar-guided missiles that reportedly have a range of almost 200km. The jet is also armed with a 30mm cannon with 150 rounds for strafing or dogfighting. The Su-35 can reportedly carry up to 8,000kg of air-to-ground munitions.
The Sukhoi Su-35 is currently deployed with the Russian Air Force. More than 20 jets of its variant, dubbed Su-35SK, were purchased by the Chinese military. The first four aircraft were delivered in 2016, followed by 10 in 2017, and the final 10 last year.
In February 2018, Russia and Indonesia reached a purchase deal for 11 aircraft worth $1.14 billion with the first delivery reportedly implemented in October 2018.
Following the successful deployment of the Su-35 in Syria, a number of countries expressed interest in the aircraft. The United Arab Emirates, India, Algeria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Pakistan and Sudan are reportedly among the potential buyers of the jet fighter.
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