Rosoboronexport and the Chinese Ministry of Defense have signed a contract on delivery of 123 Al-31FN engines to the total amount of $500 million, Lenta.ru reports.

The first 13 engines will be delivered this year and the rest will be delivered by the end of 2013. The contract will be implemented by Salut.

AL-31FN engines are widely used on Chinese J-10 and J-11 fighters (the modified copy of Su-27). China acquires Russian engines regularly since the engines manufactured in China have low reliability. The Ministry of Defense has acquired 54 engines from Russia in 2003, 100 - in 2007 and 122 - in 2009. Supposedly, most of the acquired engines have been installed on export versions of Chinese fighters in accordance with requirements of the customers.

At present China manufactures WS-10 engines and its derivatives for J-10 and J-11. These engines are copies of Russian AL-31, but they have lower thrust, reliability and time between overhaul. In particular, WS-10A engines are installed on Chinese J-15 deck-based fighter prototype (copy of Su-33), and WS-10G – on fifth-generation J-20 fighter bomber prototype.

Besides AL-31FN, China regularly acquires RD-93 engines in Russia (version of RD-33 engine for the Chinese FC-1 fighter, also delivered to Pakistan as JF-17).

Russian companies MiG and Sukhoi have demanded that Rosoboronexport should stop the deliveries of RD-93 engines to China in 2010. The China’s intention to sell FC-1 fighters to Egypt was the reason for this demand. MiG intends to enter the same market with MiG-29. It has become known later that the delivery of these engines will be continued since FC-1 is not competing with MiG-29 due to its characteristics.