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June 12, 2001
   
The Russian military aviation industry is so broke that they have to get co-production deals from foreign nations in order to keep their research and manufacturing operations going. Russia already has co-production deals with India to build the Su-30. This is an upgrade of the Su-27 (similar to the U.S. F-15). The Su-30 is a two seat aircraft that is better equipped for ground attack, and coordinating air combat operations. The new deal would allow the Sukhoi organization to continue work on the next generation (F-22 class) aircraft. Without a co production deal, companies like Sukhoi (which have been designing and building warplanes for nearly 70 years) will disappear. Russia prefers to do these co-production deals with India, as the alternative, China, is a nation Russia may one day find itself at war with.