*** IAPO to Start Delivery of Su-30MKI Fighters to

*** IAPO to Start Delivery of Su-30MKI Fighters to India in Near Future
[27 May 2002] Delivery will start to India in the first days of June of the Su-30MKI multirole fighter, the President of the Irkutsk Aviation Production Association, Aleksey Fedorov, reported to Interfax-AVN. According to him, the delivery of the airplanes is being realized in strict conformance with the timetable. In all, before the end of the year 10 airplanes will be delivered.

A. Fedorov noted that from the engineering point of view, this contract is somewhat complicated. “We had the idea of pre-delivery of the airplanes, most of all for the fact of organizing training of the airmen in India, but we decided not to force things,“ the IAPO president says.

According to A. Fedorov, one of the peculiar things about this delivery is the fact that the airplanes are being sent to India in non-assembled form by shuttle trips. Therefore, it will take a definite time for delivery of 10 Su-30MKI.

A. Fedorov reported that it is planned to complete all of the delivery part of the contract in 2003. Starting in 2004, licensed production of the Su-30MKI fighters will be unfolded in India.

“We already have started to transfer the technical documents,“ A. Fedorov reported. He noted that “the licensing depth is quite large, that is, a great degree of technology transfer to India.“ Serious preparatory work is underway right now, not only in Irkutsk, but also in other enterprises who are cooperating in the production of the SU-30MKI. Most of all, at the Ufa motor building enterprise, which is a partner of the Indian side for manufacture of engines for the fighter, A. Fedorov said.

According to the general director, IAPO has a lot of experience in the organization of licensed production of airplanes in India. Previously, 165 MiG-27 airplanes have been built under license at HAL corporation enterprises with IAPO’s cooperation.

The contract for the licensed production in India of more than 100 Su-30MKI multirole fighters was signed in December 200. The total value of the deal, according to unofficial information, is more than three billion dollars.

Source: 27.05.02, Interfax-AVN

Translated by Roy Cochrun /http://www.toad.net/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/royfc/today/acft_news.html/