MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Sukhoi aircraft maker opened on Monday a representative office in the capital of India, New Delhi, the company's press service said in a statement.

Sukhoi, which is part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), is the manufacturer of the famed Su family of combat aircraft, as well as the new Superjet-100 passenger airliners.

The Sukhoi office will support sales and maintenance of the aircraft delivered to India, and facilitate contacts with local authorities and companies, the statement said.

The Indian Air Force, after years of negotiations, purchased 50 Su-30 aircraft in 1996 and acquired the license from Sukhoi and Russia to manufacture an additional 140 Su-30MKI aircraft. Currently 116 Sukhoi-30MKI are in service.

Russia earlier said it had started talks with Indian firms on the delivery of SuperJet-100 passenger airliners and other civil aircraft to the country.

"The Indian civil aviation market is very attractive. It is very dynamic and has great potential," said Alexei Fyodorov, UAC's general director at a recent meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation.