"Landmark deal" will see HAL supply Su-30MK components to Russia''s Irkut Corp

Moscow: Reports appearing in the media suggest that India''s state-run aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) may have received a contract to supply components for the assembly of around 300 Sukhoi Su-30MK multi-role fighters from the plane''s Russian manufacturer, Irkut Corporation.

The report says that under a deal signed in Moscow last month, during Indian defence minister AK Antony''s visit, HAL will supply a large number of components to Russia''s Irkut for assembly in the airframes of Su-30MK fighters. The Russian firm is currently working on Indian, Malaysian and Algerian export orders. The Sukhoi Corporation has also secured an order from Venezuela.

According to news agency PTI, Alexei Fedorov, president of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), said that the "landmark" deal had to overcome several " bureaucratic barriers over the years" before it could be finalised. He, however, refused to divulge the value of the deal.

According to Fedorov, the highly successful Indo-Russian cooperation in the Su-30MKI project had paved the way for the inter-governmental agreement for the joint development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).

It may be noted that according to published reports, the Sukhoi corporation has orders to deliver 18 Su-30MKM''s to Malaysia, 28 Su-30MKA fighters to Algeria and 24 Su-30MK2 to Venezuela. The MKM and MKA are multi-role Flanker variants based on the Su-30MKI model developed for India and feature customized avionics suite to meet Malaysian and Algerian specifications respectively.

Malaysia has already received the first two Su-30MKMs while Algeria is due to receive six MKA''s by the end of the year. It is unclear if HAL has any role to play in the supply of components with respect to these deliveries.