RAC MiG has completed sea trials of its MiG-29K/KUB combat
aircraft involving the Indian navy's future aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya,
with deliveries under New Delhi's
2010 contract on track to start late this year.
"All tests on the ship have been completed
successfully, and the customer signed the respective protocol. We no longer
need a carrier [for trials]," says RAC MiG general director Sergei
Korotkov. The Indian navy has already received 16 K-model fighters and
KUB-variant trainers from a previous order, and "these aircraft are being
successfully operated", he adds.
RAC MiG
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Meanwhile, a first batch of six Indian air force MiG-29s to
be upgraded to an improved UPG standard have been completed at the Russian
company's Lukhovitsy plant to the south of Moscow. Introducing a new avionics
suite harmonised with that of the MiG-29K, the work is being performed under a
March 2008 contract, with 90% of the aircraft to be modified in India
under Russian supervision.
Speaking at the Lukhovitsy site on 25 October, Korotkov said
RAC MiG has "a considerable backlog of orders from the local customer and
foreign countries, which gives us a high workload through to 2017". This
represents business worth more than $6 billion, he added.
In addition to building new deck-based fighters for the
Indian and Russian navies, the company is also on schedule to hand over its
first MiG-35s to the Russian air force next year. Korotkov says he expects the
Russian defence ministry to order more of the latter type in 2013-14.
