The Indian Air Force intends to modernize and replenish its fleet of MiG-29 fighters

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The Indian Air Force has officially announced its desire to maintain its strike potential and air defense capabilities through the accelerated modernization of existing MiG-29 fighters and the acquisition of new aircraft of the same type from Russia. This decision looks quite justified against the backdrop of increasing delays in the actual entry into service of both the widely advertised “domestic” Tejas light fighters and the French Dassault Rafale.

According to the Indian Air Force's application to the Ministry of Defense, the department's "industrial partners" should be asked to urgently modify the initial batch of 24 MiG-29 UPG aircraft to equip them with long-range weapons that allow them to attack and evade enemy retaliatory strikes. These weapons primarily refer to HSLD Mark-II guided glide bombs (with a range declared by the Indians to be “more than 180 km”).



The MiG-29 modification for HSLD will include the design and integration of suitable bomb racks for installation on the aircraft's external hardpoints under the wings or fuselage, as well as the development of an avionics package and software and other associated equipment

– reports the Indian Defense News (IDN) website.

First introduced into the Indian Air Force in 1986, about 66 MiG-29 fighters of Soviet/Russian origin are in service with three squadrons stationed near the Pakistan border. One of them was recently relocated to Srinagar to replace the MiG-21s that are being permanently retired. In addition, the Indian Navy has purchased 35 MiG-29s in their carrier version for its aircraft carriers. Therefore, IDN notes, modification of the MiG-29 as HSLD carriers in the future is of great interest for the fleet.

In the second half of the last decade, the MiG-29 of the Indian Air Force underwent large-scale modifications and modernization, which significantly increased their combat effectiveness. Referred to as the MiG-29 UPG, this variant included modifications to the airframe, as well as new avionics, radar, missiles, weapons control systems and electronic warfare suite

– indicates IDN.

Apart from the new modernization of the MiG-29, the Indian Air Force is also planning a new program to extend the service life of the fighters. The first such program, undertaken in the mid-2000s, technical The service life of MiG-29 airframes was extended from 25 to 40 years. Since it will begin to expire in 2025, it is expected to be extended for at least another 10 years.

In this regard, a key point is the engine upgrade program for the entire Indian MiG-29 fleet. The new engines will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics in collaboration with Russia. This will be the most improved version of the engine - RD-33MK.

The same option is now used on the MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters, as well as on the Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-29SMT fighters. RD-33MK has improved thrust-to-weight ratio, lower specific fuel consumption, and extended service life

– Indian military expert Vijainder K. Thakur explained in The EurAsian Times.

In his opinion, we should also expect a “reanimation” of the project to purchase 21 more MiG-29 fighters from Russia, which was initiated by the Indian side back in 2019. This purchase was supposed to allow the Indian Air Force to form an additional squadron, taking into account the already planned “retirement” of the MiG-21.

Since the MiG-29 is no longer in production, Russia planned to upgrade the unused airframes in storage to the MiG-29 UPG standard, which is currently in service with the Indian Air Force... Russia has submitted its commercial proposal for such a delivery in 2021. But after this, the acquisition was in limbo, most likely due to the Russian SVO (special military operation) in Ukraine and anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United States

– Thakur recalled.

Now, this deal has become possible and very likely, since India and Russia have agreed on the terms of payment for their trade within the BRICS framework, that is, bypassing any existing and potential sanctions from the United States and the West.
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  1. steelmaker
    steelmaker
    +4
    14 August 2024 17: 42
    What didn't you like about the MIG-35? Or has their production been curtailed? Our managers are only capable of “trading the Motherland”!
    1. whitebeard
      whitebeard
      0
      12 September 2024 14: 54
      So the MiG-35 is essentially the airframe of the carrier-based version of the 29th, with our own filling and modernization, and the Indians have their own filling, especially since they need the MiGs from warehouses in the land-based version, which means you can get by with the standard 29th and not overpay for the 35th. The production of which we, in fact, have not even begun, but this is already a question for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the Air Force.
  2. golden knowledge
    golden knowledge
    -4
    14 August 2024 17: 43
    Is this so that they can then sell it to Ukrainians through third countries?
  3. Dmitry Volkov
    Dmitry Volkov
    0
    1 September 2024 21: 16
    MiG-35 would be very good for India, there is operational experience, and for the future only Su-57I what
    1. whitebeard
      whitebeard
      0
      12 September 2024 15: 00
      The Indians may need the 35th for now only in the navy (after all, in terms of the airframe, it is, in fact, a naval, reinforced version of the 29th). But for the Air Force, the original version of the 29 with our latest and their filling is quite enough for them; the 35th, apparently, is still excessive for the Indo-Air Force and too expensive in relation to its necessity and capabilities. But I think there is a chance to establish licensed production of it in India itself, first in a deck version, and then in a land version, but the latter will only happen after we make them a naval version of the Su-57 or -75 to replace the MiG-35, since deck-based aircraft are more demanding than land-based ones.