Russian Air Force to get 24 Su-34 fighter-bombers by 2010

Published: Mar 23, 2006
Source: www.tass.ru



NOVOSIBIRSK, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Defense Ministry will purchase a regiment of 24 newest Su-34 planes for the Air Force by 2010, Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters on Thursday.

"Everything has been coordinated and decided upon in a short-term perspective. The Defense Ministry was granted the right from 2004 to conclude long-term three-year contacts with defense companies. As a result, two batch-production Su-34 planes will be purchased in 2006, six in 2007, ten in 2008, with purchases increasing in coming years. Therefore, we have to buy a whole regiment of 24 Su-34 planes in 2010," the deputy prime minister said.

Air Force chief Vladimir Mikhailov, who is accompanying Ivanov on his tour of Siberian defense firms, told reporters that two Su-34 have already been manufactured and soon will be supplied to the army.

"It is planned to purchase in the future ten such aircraft each year," he said.continue..