Irkut aircraft holding is in discussions with the Russian Ministry of Defence to supply up to 40 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force.

RIA Novosti has quoted Irkut president Alexei Fyodorov as saying, “We will sign a contract with the Defence Ministry next year.”

The contract, if finalised, includes initial delivery of 28 fighter jets and the supply of an additional 12 aircraft as an option.

The Su-30 Flanker-C is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter designed for conducting all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.

Currently, Russia operates four Su-30 Flanker-C fighter jets.