E-Paper
Russia to deliver 20 MiGs to Myanmar: report
Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to military-run Myanmar, the daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.
Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to military-run Myanmar, the daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.
The contract was signed a few weeks ago and came to nearly 400 million euros (570 million dollars), according to a source close to Russian arms sales company Rosoboronexport quoted by the paper.
The Southeast Asian country is under Western sanctions but human-rights campaigners complain that its ruling junta has received a steady supply of arms from neighbours China and India, as well as from Russia.
A source close to Rosoboronexport said the Russian offer beat one by China which offered Myanmar "ultra-modern" J-10 and FC-1 fighters "on very advantageous conditions".
The daily said Russia had already delivered 12 MiG-29s to Myanmar in 2001. "It is the largest contract to deliver fighters of this type after the breaking of a similar transaction with Algeria in 2007," Kommersant said.
Algeria cancelled its order for 34 MiG-29s worth 987 million euros as their quality was lower than expected and returned several planes to Russia in 2008, the paper said.
