Algeria takes delivery of Russian fighters, reviving major defence deal

Russia has delivered two Su-30MKA 'Flanker' multirole fighters to Algeria, the first provision of aircraft to the North African country since a 2006 deal was nearly jettisoned due to Algiers' return of Russian-made MiG fighter jets.

The aircraft were delivered to a military base some 40 km south of Algiers on 31 May, according to a Ministry of Defence statement released in local media and confirmed from Moscow by Russian state information service RIA Novosti.

The resumption of the deal looks to pave the way for complete delivery of an arms package worth some USD7.5 billion, cementing Algeria as the world's third largest importer of Russian arms.

The two fighters join six other Sukhoi aircraft previously delivered as part of a package of 28 Su-30MKAs for delivery by 2010.

In February Algeria returned a number of MiG-29s after rejecting two MiG-29UBT trainers, judging them to be of low technical quality and secondhand rather than new, according to published reports. 161 of 473 words