Singapore seriously looking at SU-30

Damn, the CDF and the CMF rocks when it comes to getting new pieces of information:
source: http://www.russiajournal.com/weekly/article.shtml?ad=6428
By John Helmer / The Russian journal

Asia picks Russian jets
Singapore defense officials have told Russia’s arms-export agency Rosoboronexport that they expect the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter-bomber will make it to the short-list of three aircraft to be considered in the current tender to replace the Singapore air force’s aging fleet of U.S.-made A-4 Skyhawks.

A military agency official told The Russia Journal the multi-purpose Sukhoi combat aircraft impressed the Singapore officers who observed the aircraft in demonstrations at the Moscow air show last August, and at the Asian Aerospace-2002 show in Singapore this year.

The official added that, in the current competition between the European Typhoon, France’s Rafale and three U.S. models, the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon and F-18 Super-Hornet, the Su-30 should reach the second round of the selection process.

The confidence of Rosoboronexport has been enhanced in recent weeks by signals from Brazil that it is close to preferring the Sukhoi over intense competition from the US and France.

In the Brazilian tender, Rosoboronexport has offered licensed production by Brazilian aerospace companies of the Su-35.

The bidding for replacement of Brazil’s old Mirage-III fighters has been sharpened by the Brazilian government’s decision to exclude the U.S. F-16 and F-18 from the final round, leaving Sukhoi running against the Mirage-2000.

The Malaysian government remains close to a decision, but is still uncommitted on whether to buy the Su-30.

The aircraft was flown in demonstrations at Malaysia’s Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition last October.

After several years of negotiations in the early 1990s, which saw intense rivalry from Washington for Malaysia to buy the F-18 Hornet, Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad split his airforce acquisition into two, buying 18 Mikoyan MiG-29’s and an equal number of Hornets.

The Malaysian Air Force has been considering a follow-up order, and the Boeing-built F-18, in a modified form, is again competing against the Russians.

China’s air force has already contracted to buy the Su-30MKK, which is equipped with Russian avionics.

The Su-30MKM model to be offered to Malaysia is equipped with Russian and European avionics, and is more suited to English-speaking pilots. The first two Su-30MKI aircraft were delivered to India on June 21, and another eight are being transported over the next few weeks.

Starting in 2004, licensed production of the aircraft will begin in India, and local production lines are expected to roll out a total of 140 aircraft according to the terms of a deal signed in 2000.

According to Rosoboronexport, the radar and engines of the Su-30MKI have not been exported anywhere else in the world. The agency claims the radar allows the aircraft to fight effectively with several enemy aircraft at the same time.

General Director of Rosoboronexport Andrei Belyaninov said last month that, in the first half of this year, revenues from arms sales topped $2 billion.

“We expect the results for the second half of the year to be at least equal to the first half.”

However, he said, the recent estimate placing Russia as the leading arms exporter in the world – in a publication last month by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – is inaccurate.

“In our opinion,” Belyaninov said, “Russia is currently in the third or fourth place among the world’s leading arms exporters, while the United States is the leader.”