MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/: Angola has received upgraded Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30K fighter jets, Head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev said on Wednesday on the eve of the Russia-Africa summit.
"Our Su-30K fighter jets have been delivered to Angola," Shugayev said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV Channel.
Deputy Director for Development at the Belarussian 558th Aircraft Repair Enterprise in Baranovichi Alexander Vorobei said in May that the deliveries of 12 upgraded Russian Su-30K fighters to Angola had been completed. The fighters were upgraded for Angola upon approval from Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport.
The Su-30K fighters were delivered to India under the 1996 contract. Russia took them back under the trade-in scheme and offered them to a number of African states. Angola purchased 12 such aircraft in 2013 and Rosoboronexport is currently looking for a buyer for the remaining six planes.
The Belarussian 558th Aircraft Repair Enterprise was picked for fulfilling a contract on the upgrade of fighter jets for Angola because the company was the basic contractor during the Soviet period for the repair of Su-27 planes (from which the Su-30 was derived).
On October 23-24, the resort city of Sochi will host the Russia-Africa Summit, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egypt’s head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The leaders of all 54 African countries have been invited to come, and at least 40 of them have already confirmed their participation.
Eight major African integration associations and organizations are also involved in the event. On the summit’s sidelines, an economic forum will take place, which will be attended by the continent’s heads of state, and representatives of the business community and government agencies. The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the event, and TASS is the official photo host agency of the summit and economic forum.
