India is expected to finalise a $600 million deal for swapping 18 Su-30K and Su-30MK fighters with the latest version of Su-30MKI during Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi's week-long visit to Russia beginning today. During his Russia tour, first as an air chief, Tyagi is to hold talks with the Chief of Russian General Staff and other senior defence officials.
He is also scheduled to visit MiG and Sukhoi corporations and Siberian plant of IRKUT corporation, the main supplier of state-of-the-art Su-30MKI multirole fighters, specially designed for IAF. During Irkutsk visit, Tyagi is expected to finalise the $600 million deal for swapping 18 older Su-30K and Su-30MK fighters with the latest version of Su-30MKI.
The air chief is also scheduled to watch demonstration flight of the latest MiG fighter Moscow intends to field against US F-16 in the Indian tender for the acquisition of 126 fighters. Tyagi would be the first senior foreign official to watch the demonstration flight of MiG-29OVT at Zhukovsky airbase near Moscow, Kommersant daily reported.
During his visit to St. Petersburg, the air chief is to visit Aerospace Equipment Corporation and aircraft engine factories Klimov and Krasny Oktyabr involved in Indian deals. Tyagi is visiting the country at the invitation of his Russian counterpart.