Sky Warriors: Russia to Deliver Su-35 Fighter Jets to China After 2016

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia will not start deliveries of Su-35 fighter jets to China in 2016, the head of Russia’s state technologies corporation Rostec said.

"Not this year," Sergei Chemezov said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, responding to the question about the date of the first Su-35 delivery to China.

According to Chemezov, the contract was signed but it has not come into effect yet, as both sides have not ratified the deal.

The ratification is expected to take place in "summer or fall" of 2016, Chemezov added.

In November 2015, Chemezov announced that Russia and China had signed a contract, estimated to be worth $2 billion, on the delivery of 24 Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets.

The Su-35 is a 4++ generation aircraft employing technologies of the fifth generation, designed by the Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company, which belongs to the United Aircraft Corporation. The fighter jet (NATO reporting name Flanker-E) is an upgraded version of the Su-27 multirole fighter. It was first introduced to a foreign audience at the 2013 Paris Air Show.

Four Su-35s have been deployed to Syria amid Moscow's counterterrorism campaign.