MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) - Malaysia may soon order a new batch of Russian-made Su-30MKM combat aircraft to equip an additional fighter squadron, a Russian source at the recent LIMA-2007 air show said Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country has already received six out of 18 Su-30MKM fighters under a $900-million contract signed in 2003. The remaining 12 aircraft will be delivered in two shipments by the end of 2008.

"The Malaysian Royal Air Force is considering a new contract on the purchase of Russian Su-30MKM fighters," the source said.

The Su-30MKM is a multi-role Flanker variant based on the Su-30MKI model and features a customized avionics suite to meet Malaysian specifications.

The aircraft are being manufactured at Sukhoi's Irkutsk aircraft manufacturing plant in Siberia.

Malaysia currently operates a mixed fighter fleet, with the Russian MiG-29N Fulcrum, and the U.S.-made F/A-18D Hornet and F-5 Tiger.