Russia to supply Syria with MIG-31 fighters

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Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:34:57 GMT

A senior Russian official confirms inking a contract for supplying Syria with the advanced MiG-31 fighter jets but adds that the deal has not yet been sealed.

"A few years ago, two contracts were signed, one for (supplying Syria with) MiG-29s and one for MiG-31s," the daily Kommersant quoted Alexei Fyodorov, the head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, as saying on Thursday.

"Consultations on this contract are now ongoing, so its future is unclear," Fyodorov emphasized.

Kommersant also quoted the official as saying that a contract to provide Syria with Mig-29M fighters is being implemented.

The remarks come as Moscow had, until recently, vehemently rejected the news about the intentions to sell MiG-31 interceptor jets to Syria.

Under the contract valued at USD 400-500 million, Russia should deliver eight MiG-31 fighter jets to Syria. The deal was inked in early 2007.

In May, Reuters cited a Kommersant report claiming that Russia had decided not to ship the batch of MiG-31 aircrafts to Syria. A source close to Rosoboronexport acknowledged that Moscow turned down the contract following pressure from Syria's arch-enemy, Israel, over fears the powerful fighters could offset the balance of power in the region.

A similar story took place with Russia's intention to sell Iskander missile systems to Syria in 2005. Israel put enormous pressure on Russia, and the contract was eventually terminated.

According to a government official cited by Kommersant, the contract had been suspended because Syria could no longer afford the cost-intensive military hardware.

MiG-31 is a two-seat supersonic fighter-interceptor and the first Russian 4th generation military jet fighter. First constructed 25 years ago, it is still the fastest high-altitude jet fighter in the world.

The speedy aircraft can fire simultaneously at several targets up to 180kilometers (110 miles) away.

at 8:36 AM