Citing a Russian Military cooperation official, Russian news agency Sputnik said on Monday that Russia will adhere to its commitment and will deliver 50 MiG-29 fighters to Egypt on schedule by 2020.
Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation deputy director Alexei Frolkin said that the agreement is in line with is fixed schedule.
The contract was reportedly signed during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Egypt in 2014. According to Sputnik, this order would be the largest for the MiG-29 fighters in the post-soviet period.
The military cooperation between Egypt and Russia has significantly increased following the inauguration of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s administration. Egypt worked for closer ties after bilateral relations between Egypt and the United States were strained following the ouster of former president Mohammed Morsi. In August 2016, Russia delivered a Molniya RKA-32 corvette to Egypt.
In 2014, Egypt reportedly signed a deal with Russia to buy 24 advanced MiG-35 fighter jets in addition to several other arms deals with Russia and other countries including Germany.
According to a report issued by the Congressional Research Service in December 2016, Egypt imported US$5.3 worth of arms in 2015, which makes it the largest arms importer among the developing countries.
It also came as the second in the arms transfer agreements among the developing countries, which are agreements that were signed but not necessarily delivered.
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