U.A.E. to Build Russian Warplane as Mideast Tensions Rise
- Plans concerns successor to MiG-29 light fighter, Rostec says
- Gulf state agrees to procure latest Sukhoi model in interim
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The United Arab Emirates signed an outline agreement to buy Sukhoi Su-35 warplanes and will work with Russia to develop a next-generation fighter that could enter service in seven or eight years, according to Moscow-based industrial conglomerate Rostec Corp.
While the latest version of the Sukhoi jet, based on the Su-27 Flanker and previously exported to China, would satisfy the Gulf state’s more immediate requirements, the proposed future model would essentially be “a brand new fighter,” Rostec Chief Executive Officer Sergey Chemezov said Monday.