The issue was discussed during meeting between Defence Minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov here and an agreement in this regard is expected to be signed during the visit of President Vladimir Putin on November 1, sources told PTI here.
The 42 Su-30MKIs will add to the firepower of the Indian Air Force and after this, the number of these aircraft will be around 272, they said.
During the meeting, the two sides were also understood to have discussed the upgrade programme of the existing inventory of these aircraft in the IAF.
The discussion for procurement of 71 Mi-17 V5 helicopters for the IAF and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was also discussed during the meeting today.
Under the procurement, India will buy 59 choppers for the IAF whereas the remaining will be used by the MHA and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) most probably for anti-Naxal operations.