Le Bourget: Russia's arms export monopoly dismissed on Tuesday reports that it plans to supply fighter jets to Syria and Iran. “Russia has no plans to deliver fighter jets to Syria and Iran,” Rosoboronexport CEO Sergei Chemezov told journalists at Le Bourget air show near Paris.
Chemezov said that if any such deal does come under discussion, the media will be informed.
His remarks came in response to a report by Russian business daily Kommersant, which said Rosoboronexport began the delivery of five heavy twin-engined interceptor fighters MiG-31E to Syria, under a deal negotiated during President Bashar Assad's trip to Moscow last fall.
Designed in the 1980s to target low-flying cruise missiles, the aircraft is capable of flying at nearly three times the speed of sound and simultaneously shooting several targets at ranges of up to 180 kilometers (more than 110 miles).
The paper also said Russia had agreed to supply Syria with an unspecified number of MiG-29M fighters.
The purchase of sophisticated MiG fighters would dramatically improve the air force capability of the two Mideast countries, seen by Israel and the United States as a potential threat to their national security.
Russia suspended its arms supplies to the Middle East following last year's conflict in Lebanon.
Israel claimed that during the 34-day war, Hezbollah fighters attacked Israeli targets with Russian-made missiles, which they had allegedly obtained from backers in Syria and Iran.
