URGENT: Russia to start deliveries of attack helicopters to Brazil this year

MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will start deliveries of Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters to Brazil by the end of 2009, a senior government official said on Monday.

"We have recently signed a contract to deliver 12 Mi-35 helicopters to Brazil. The first deliveries will start by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010," said Alexander Fomin, deputy director of the Federal Service on Military-Technical Cooperation.

The official said the contract was worth about $150 million.