Russian aircraft-producing corporation MiG will complete delivery of ship-based fighters MiG-29K/KUB for Indian Navy by the end of the current year; the airplanes are to be stationed on aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, reports ARMS-TASS referring to the company’s press service.
The delivery contract for 16 fighters in single-seat (K) and two-seat (KUB) variants was signed in 2004 under the Russian-Indian package agreement on modernization of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (Indian name INS Vikramaditya). According to open sources, 11 aircrafts of that batch have been already commissioned into Indian Navy. They are temporarily based at ground-based aircraft training center in Hansa air station, Goa. Those airplanes along with antisubmarine helicopters will be also based on board INS Vikramaditya.
According to MiG Director General Sergei Korotkov, the company has already started production of the next 29-fighter batch in accordance with supplementary contract tied with India in March 2010.
Multirole ship-based fighters MiG-29K/KUB are ‘4++’ generation aircraft. First fighters were delivered to Indian Navy in 2009 and have proved themselves in practice. In the current year, the Russian deck-based fighters for the first time attended Indian Navy’s parade off the port of Mumbai. According to Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, participation of MiG-29K fighters was “main event of the parade’s air show”.
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Naval Today Staff , December 22, 2011; Image: indrus