MiG builders target Indian market

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, FEB. 5. The MiG Aircraft Corporation of Russia plans to finalise a contract for the supply of carrier-based MiG-29K fighter jets later this year, whereupon it will concentrate on the upgrade of a large fleet of IAFs MiG aircrafts.

``We have reached an agreement on the main characteristics of MiG-29K for the Indian Navy and hope to work out the remaining issues by March'', said Mr. Nikolai Buntin, chief designer of the planes.

India is to buy a batch of MiG-29K planes for the Admiral Gorshkov Aircraft Carrier which is currently being refit in Russia for the Indian Navy. Mr. Buntin would not say how many MiG-29Ks India plans to purchase. Media reports said the figure varied from 40 to 66. The aircraft will be showcased at Aero India-2001, which opens in Bangalore on Feb. 7.

The MiG corporations strategy in India is also targeting the upgrade of hundreds of MiG-series planes, purchased from Russia or built under Russian licence in India. `` We will concentrate our efforts on upgrading the earlier supplied MiGs'', said Mr. Victor Kozlov, Deputy Director-General of the MiG Corporation.

The company recently delivered to India the first two upgraded MiG-21Bis planes, designated MiG-21UPG (upgraded) and will supply sets of new avionics and weapons to the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) where 123 more MiG-21s will be upgraded.

``The upgrade has turned MIG-21 from a 2nd generation frontline fighter into a 4th generation-plus plane'', said Mr. Andrei Karasev, deputy chief designer of the MiG company. He said the upgraded plane was equipped with advanced avionics, the new Kopyo radar and new high-precision weapons against aerial and ground targets.

Mr. Karasev conceded the project was running about a year behind schedule due to delays in selecting and integrating French and Israeli avionics. The MiG officials admit that they had problems with the reliability of foreign-supplied equipment and say some tests on integrated avionics are yet to be carried out. However, they assert that the end result is better than what was envisaged by the original upgrade plan. ``MiG-21UPG has the best set of equipment available on any MiGs today'', Mr. Buntin, MiG designer, said.

The company is currently conducting talks with HAL on the upgrade of MiG-27 produced in India, Mr. Karasev said. He denied reports that India may entrust the upgrade of its 165 MiG- 27s to Israel. ``No upgrade is possible without our participation as the designers of MiG-27'', he said. Talks are underway as to what will be done in Russia, India and in third countries.

MiG manufacturers have also offered to upgrade India's fleet of 74 MiG-29s, supplied by Russia. The proposed upgrade will improve the planes ability to engage airborne targets and provide new ability to precision-hit ground targets. The partially upgraded MiG-29SMT was demonstrated in Germany in 2000 and the final version will be ready before the next air show in Bangalore.

The upgrade concepts for MiG-27 and MiG-29 will be presented at Aero India-2001. The display at Bangalore will also include the MiG-AT advanced jet trainer, which India mooted buying before opting for the British-made `Hawk'. Now that the Hawk deal has been called off, MiG officials are proposing to set up MiG-AT production at HAL. Two MiG-AT prototypes have been built so far, one with French avionics, the other with all- Russian equipment. Officials said their company was ready to help India develop the LCA.

``The Indian aircraft industry has been largely built on the basis of MiG technologies and were ready to help with LCA if asked to'', Mr. Karasev said. Earlier this week the Sukhoi Company expressed willingness to join in the LCA project.

The MiG Corporation, which is currently diversifying into civil aircraft construction, will also present in Bangalore several of its new models, including the IL-103 light multi- purpose plane, the MiG-110 passenger-cargo convertible plane and the TU-334 medium-haul airline.

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Section  : International
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