Moscow: Russia today (Jun 6, 2004) began the deliveries of kits for the licensed production of State-of-the-art multirole fighters SU-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, a senior official said.

"First two kits are being airlifted today and are scheduled to reach Nasik tomorrow," President of IRKUT Corporation Alexei Fyodorov said.

The $ 3.5 billion Sukhoi technology transfer deal was signed between India and Russia on December 28, 2000.

IRKUT corporation's Irkutsk-based aircraft factory is simultaneously scheduled to deliver fully-assembled 10 SU-30MKI fighters to the Indian Air Force by the end of this year, when the first of 140 aircraft is scheduled to roll-out from HAL's Nasik factory.

Under the transfer deal, largest-ever single Defence contract signed between the two countries, HAL is getting license for the production of all the components indigenously, including unique thrust vectoring AL-31FP Lyulka Saturn engines.