Contrary to its tradition of keeping China aside from selling the latest weapons, Russia has signaled its intention to deliver the latest model of its Su-35 fighter to that country.
“We are ready to work with Chinese partners in this direction,” Alexander Mikheev, deputy director of Rosoboronexport, told RIA Novosti.
Equipped with two 117C engines with a controlled thrust vector, the Su-35 Flanker-E fighter has high maneuverability with the ability to hit several air targets simultaneously, its arsenal consists of guided and unguided weapons.
The first production multi-role fighter is expected to leave the assembly line later this year, with the first batch of these aircraft to be produced between 2010 and 2015. Local media reports that the order is 48 vehicles.
Mikheev told RIA Novosti that Russia and China are currently in the initial stage of negotiations and will discuss "the specifics of the export version of the Su-35 and how to integrate it with the previously supplied Su-30 fighters and Su-27 aircraft of the Chinese assembly."
Since 2008, the Su-35 has been offered to India, Malaysia, Algeria, Brazil and Venezuela, but there are no contracts yet.
Defense News quotes a representative of Rosoboronexport that the contract for the supply of the Su-35 to China will mark the end of the stagnation in Russian arms sales to China. Recently, this country has asked for a limited number of modern Russian weapons, but Moscow has refused such contracts for fear of copying technology.
