Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows a Russian Su-30SM fighter practising for the MAKS 2013 International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Shi Xiaogang)

MOSCOW, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Kazakhstan on Thursday signed a contract under which Moscow will supply Astana with new modern SU-30SM fighter jets by the end of 2020, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said.

A UAC statement did not specify the number of aircraft covered by the contract signed in Astana, but TASS news agency quoted UAC President Yuri Slyusar as saying that Russia will ship eight such jets.

The fighters will replenish the existing fleet of similar combat vehicles used by the Air Defense Force of Kazakhstan since 2015. Kazakhstan received four such aircraft in 2015, according to media reports.

The two-seat multi-purpose SU-30SM super-maneuverable fighter, which can carry a broad range of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles as well as bombs, represents one of the most advanced modifications of the SU-30 family.

The various modifications of the SU-30 have already become the bestseller of Rosoboronexport, Russia's sole state intermediary for the export and import of military and dual-use products, technologies and services, according to the country's state conglomerate Rostec.