Russia will sell six Su-30 fighter jets to Myanmar, Russian Deputy Defence minister Lieutenant General Alexander Fomin said on Monday, reports Myanmar times.

The deal was reached during the visit of the Russian Minister of Defence General of the Army Sergei Shoigu to Myanmar at the weekend, according the Facebook page of the Russia’s Defence Ministry.

The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seater “super manoeuvrable” fighter jet manufactured  by Russia’s Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.

It is a multi-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions, suitable for Myanmar’s counter-insurgency operations.

Fomin expressed confidence that the Su-30 warplanes would become the main fighter jets of the Myanmar’s Air Force to protect territorial integrity and repel terrorist attacks.

The Su-30 is the main fighter jet in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. It has proved to be a world class warplane, according to the Russian Defence Ministry statement.

During his visit to Myanmar, Defence Minister Shoigu met with Commander-in-Chief Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing and discussed bilateral issues, including the conflict in northern Rakhine State.

Shoigu assured that Russia will stand by Myanmar in its efforts to end the Rakhine violence, which forced over 650,000 Muslims to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh since the fighting began with terrorist attacks in August last year.

Shoigu and Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing also discussed ways to strengthen technological cooperation between  their armed forces, including training cooperation, exchange of warship visits, and exchange of goodwill visits between the two armed forces.