BEIJING — China has agreed to buy two dozen fighter jets and four submarines from Russia, state media reported Monday, the country’s first large-scale weapons technology purchases from Moscow in a decade.
The agreement to buy the 24 Su-35 fighters and four Lada-class submarines was signed just before President Xi Jinping’s weekend visit to Russia, said the People’s Daily, citing state television.
Two of the submarines will be built in Russia, with the other two to be built in China.“The Su-35 fighters can effectively reduce pressure on China’s air defense before Chinese-made stealth fighters come online,” the report said.
China and Russia are expected to cooperate further in developing military technology, the report said, including that for S-400 long-range anti-aircraft missiles, 117S large thrust engines, Il-476 large transport aircraft and Il-78 aerial tankers.