“The long negotiations on the delivery of Su-35 to China are over, we have signed a contract”, Russia’s state technologies corporation Rostec head Sergey Chemezov was quoted by Russian business daily Kommersant on Thursday. “The contract has no precedents in the history of military aircraft deliveries”, he said.
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The deal tightens the military bonds between Russian Federation and China – a key aim for Moscow following its falling-out with the West over the annexation of Crimea past year – and is a timely cash boost for the Kremlin amid a deep recession. Coming in at around $85 million apiece, the deal represents good value for Beijing, which had previously struggled to develop aircraft that can compete with superior European and USA designs. “The contract was concluded on purchasing 24 Su-35 fighters”, the source said, adding that this was the first foreign customer of the 4++ generation aircraft.
Until the deal, Russian Federation was the only country whose Air Force is equipped with Su-35 fighter jets (NATO reporting name Flanker-E).
China had first expressed interest in the Sukhoi Su-35 during the China worldwide & Aerospace Exhibition in 2008 with negotiations starting in 2011. A preliminary agreement over the purchase of the fighter jets was reached in 2012. The Russian aircraft’s powerful turbofan engine is also the most likely reason why China is interested in acquiring Su-35 fighters.
Moscow and Beijing have reportedly been in talks about the sale for three years, with Chinese media reporting in 2013 that the country had agreed to their purchase.
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“China’s fifth-generation homemade fighter jets like the J-20 and J-31 are all more advanced than the Su-35 in stealth and speed, except for the power system”, Wong said.
