Thailand To Buy Russian Fighters: Report

AEROSPACE

The Sukhoi SU 27.

Moscow (AFP) Dec 19, 2005
Russia has signed a preliminary agreement to sell a dozen Sukhoi fighter jets to Thailand, traditionally a US arms client, in an unprecedented deal worth 500 million dollars, The Moscow Times daily reported Monday.

The report quoted an unnamed senior official with Irkut, the manufacturer of the Sukhoi fighter, as saying that a memorandum of understanding on the purchase was signed during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Malaysia last week to attend an Asian summit.

A spokesman for Irkut contacted by AFP said that Russian and Thai officials discussed Russian military planes in Malaysia last week but declined to comment on the report that a preliminary deal had been reached.

The Moscow Times, an English-language daily aimed primarily at the expatriate community in Moscow, said Thailand had originally agreed to buy the jets last year but the deal was delayed because of the tsunami last December that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the region.

The Irkut official said the deal with Thailand on the jets also included delivery of Russian helicopters to Thailand.

Interfax news agency separately reported that a definitive contract on the sale would be signed toward the middle of next year and that Bangkok would pay part of the bill in kind by delivering various products to Russia for resale on international markets.

Interfax quoted Alexander Klementyev, deputy director of the Sukhoi Aviation firm that is owned by the Irkut group, as saying that Indonesia also planned to buy a dozen Sukhoi planes and their full weapons systems in a deal valued at around 700 million dollars.

A 10 percent-stake in Irkut was bought earlier this month by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) company, which makes the Airbus passenger jet and is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium.

Source: Agence France-Presse

AEROSPACE

USAF Declares Initial Operating Capability For F22A Raptor Jet Fighter

Marietta GA (SPX) Dec 15, 2005
Lockheed Martin's F-22A Raptor, the world's only 5th generation fighter aircraft, surpassed a monumental milestone today when the United States Air Force declared that the Raptor has reached initial operational capability.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.