Lim Kit Siang

Sukhoi fighter jet deal – something fishy

by T GOPAL
Kota Damansara

I just surfed the web and found three different news related to purchasing of Sukhoi fighter jet from Russia by Vietnamese, Indian and Malaysian governments. Go through the news and I will tell you why I smell something fishy here.

(1) India to buy 40 Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia in $1.6 billion deal

8 February 2007

Mumbai: The government is all set to sign a $1.6 billion deal with Russia for acquiring 40 Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters. The contract will be signed before the current financial year ends and the air superiority fighters would join the Indian Air Force’s combat fleet “in about three years”, Air Chief SP Tyagi, told reporters at the Yelahanka Air Force Base on the sidelines of Aero India 2007.

(2) 02 December 2003

Vietnam Orders More Fighters
The Moscow Times

Vietnam on Monday agreed to buy four Sukhoi fighter jets for $100 million, a deal that adds fresh impetus to President Vladimir Putin’s drive to increase arms sales to Southeast Asia.

The deal, which follows sales earlier this year to Indonesia and Malaysia, means Southeast Asia this year may surpass China as Russia’s top arms market, defense industry experts said.

Vietnam signed a protocol agreement with state arms export agency Rosoboronexport to buy four Su-30MKKs, according to a source within Aviation Holding Co. Sukhoi. The fighters are made by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association.

(3) Malaysia to receive six fighter jets from Russia

Malaysia’s air force said Friday it expects to receive six Russian Sukhoi-30MK fighter jets in May – the first batch of 18 jets it purchased in 2003.

“It is anticipated that the first batch of Sukhoi-30MKs will be officially handed over to the Malaysian government in April 2007 in Russia, with the physical arrival in the country beginning May,” the Royal Malaysian Air Force said in a statement.

The arrival of the jets – bought in a deal worth US$900 million (EUR 750 million) – is “neither premature nor delayed,” it said, denying a local news report that the delivery had been pushed back by a year

Now let me summarise the key facts :

Now, do you see the picture? Vietnam bought the jets for US$25million each, the so called corrupted India bought for US$40million each but our government must be corrupted to hell to purchase the fighter jets for US$50million each. That is US$10 million more compared to India, so times 18, you get US$180 million or about RM600 million entering someone’s pocket. But if you compare with price paid by the Vietnamese government, it would be a cool RM1.8 billion. I wonder who’s pocket is that.

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