Russia, Malaysia sign $100m deal on fighters’ maintenance

Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi and the Malaysian Defense Ministry have signed a $100-million contract for the technical maintenance of Malaysia’s fleet of Su-30MKM fighters, a spokesman for the organizing committee of the LIMA-2013 aerospace exhibition said.The contract covers technical maintenance as well as supplies of spare parts for 18 Russian Su-30MKM fighters that were delivered to Malaysia between 2007 and 2009 under a $900-million contract signed in 2003, RIA Novosti reported.In addition to its 18 Su-30MKM Flanker fighters, Malaysia also has 16 MiG-29N Fulcrum fighters in its combat aircraft fleet.The Su-30MKM is a multi-role Flanker based on the Su-30MKI model and features a customized avionics package built to Malaysian specifications. Su-family fighters constitute the bulk of Russia’s arms exports