DID - More Industrial Guarantees: Russia Buying 16 MiG-29 Fighters

RIA Novosti reports that Russia is buying another 16 MiG-29SMT multi-role fighters, in order to help keep MiG-related technical expertise and infrastructure active until 2016. In August 2013, Russia’s VVS was forced to postpone its planned $1.1 billion MiG-35 buy from state-owned United Aircraft Corp. The new fighter just wasn’t ready, but MiG is a bit squeezed these days. Its main sources of work include carrier-based MiG-29K orders from Russian naval aviation (AVFR) and India, and ongoing upgrades to India’s land-based MiG-29 fleet. Other potential customers could add new orders, including a likely Serbian buy, but Russia needs more fighters, and UAC needs more certainty.

The MiG-29SMT is fully multi-role, unlike early MiG-29 models, and carries extra fuel in an expanded spine. The most prominent differences between it and the MiG-35 are the latter’s addition of an AESA radar, and in-flight thrust vectoring. Sources: RIA Novosti, “Russian Military to Buy 16 MiG-29SMT Fighter Jets – Report” and “MiG-35 Deal Delayed Amid Defense Industry Problems – Minister” | InSerbia, “Serbia to get “invisible” MiG 29M2 soon” | UAC, MiG-29SMT and MiG-35.

Updates

April 13/22: Slovakia To Ukraine Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger says his country is willing to donate its MiG-29s to Ukraine if an arrangement can be made to secure the country’s own airspace. Currently, the country has placed orders for the F-16s but they are not being delivered until 2024. Slovakia recently donated its S-300P air defense missile system to Ukraine.

January 7/16: Russia has taken delivery of sixteen new MiG-29SMT multi-role fighters completing a 2014 order of the aircraft. The jets were delivered to the Astrakhan-Privolzhskiy airbase and it is believed that the order was split between fourteen MiG-29SMT fighters and two MiG-29UB trainers. The order was put in place as a stop gap measure to fill demand while Russia awaits the completion of the development of the MiG-35, but the program has been hampered by delays and not expected to enter service until 2018.

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