China talks on new deck-based fighters Su-33

08.11.2010 China holds negotiations with Sukhoi on procurement of Russian deck-based fighters Su-33. Reportedly, those talks had reached a deadlock, although sources enlightened on the subject say China still takes interest in those aircrafts. According to some information, Russia offered China to purchase deck-based fighters MiG-29K which are currently exported to Indian Navy.

China is about to create own version of Su-33, but can not do this due to different reasons. Therefore, Chinese officials turn to Russia again and again trying to buy required technologies and gradually achieve progress in development of own deck-based combat aircraft.

Jane's reports that Sukhoi can offer 12 previously used Su-33 aircrafts to China which intends to establish training squadron, and then sell 36 new fighters of this type. Newly constructed aircrafts have to be equipped with hardware analogous to that installed in Su-35. Previously, Sukhoi and Komsomolsk-on-Amur design bureaus proposed to fit up those aircrafts with equipment of Su-30MK2. But now, when Sukhoi and MiG are integrated into one holding Russia offers new MiG-29K to China. According to Jane's, one Russian official said there was no point to resume construction of new Su-33 aircrafts because development of 5-generation fighter T-50 is in progress.

It was previously reported that China had purchased prototype of deck-based aircraft T-10K from Ukraine. This fighter was one of the first experimental models of Su-33 and had variety of design defects which were eliminated later.

There are two groups in China – industrialists wishing to create a deck-based variant of J-11B (copied Su-27), and military experts insisting on buying Russian aircrafts. Higher command of Chinese armed forces must settle this standoff.