CEO of RAC MiG, Sergey Korotkov, said that MiG-35 fighters were included in the State Defense Order, Lenta.ru reports. According to him, Ministry of Defense and the Corporation are closer to agreement on purchase of these vehicles by the Russian air forces. The exact number of aircraft to be delivered has not been specified yet.

«We are one and a half steps closer to the final decision. Both parties now have a clear understanding of things. Earlier we had different opinions but now our positions moved closer to each other and the corresponding line was added to the State Defense Order program», — Korotkov said.

Nevertheless, according to the corporation’s CEO, the exact number of aircraft to be delivered has not been defined yet.

The parties have been negotiating deliveries of MiG-35 fighters to Russian air forces since 2010; however, they still haven’t come to agreement on the matter. So far Russian Ministry of Defense signed contracts with RAC MiG for deliveries of 24 carrier-based MiG-29K/KUB fighters to Russian navy and 16 MiG-29SMT fighters to Russian air forces.

MiG-35 is the latest aircraft derived from famous MiG-29 fighter. Its range has been extended and it is fitted with state-of-the-art avionics and engines with thrust vector control. At the same time, specialists say that the increased cost and weight of the aircraft originally designed as a light fighter decrease its competitive ability as compared to heavy fighters from Su-27 Family.