Moscow: Russia is raising additional funds to the tune of $18 million to meet the supplies schedule of kits for the upgradation of MiG-21bis fighter jets currently in service with the Indian Air Force.

Vice Premier Boris Alyoshin said that from September onwards, Russia will remove the "slippage" in supplies of kits for the modernisation and up gradation of IAF's MiG-21bis fleet and will fulfil its contractual obligations.

The manufacturer is raising extra funds to the tune of $18 million in private sector to meet its contractual commitments, Alyoshin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

In 1996, Indian Air Force had signed a $300 million deal for the up gradation of its 125 comparatively new MiG-21bis fighters with Russia's Sokol aircraft factory in Nizhny Novgorod (Former Gorky) on Volga.

Under the deal, which is already behind the original schedule by three years, Russia was to develop upgradation technology for modernised MiG-21-93 and transfer it to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

PTI