Russia received a request from India for the supply of MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB carrier -based fighters . This was announced during the MAKS -2021 air show by the director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev, writes TASS .
“The Russian side has received from its Indian partners a preliminary request for the supply of MiG-29K / KUB carrier-based fighters. The corresponding proposals have been sent,” he said.
According to him, Russia is awaiting the announcement of a tender for the modernization of the MiG-29K / KUB. “Also, Russia has begun consultations with India on a program to modernize the fleet of MiG-29K / KUB aircraft,” added the head of the FSMTC.
In February 2020, Russia had stated that it was waiting for India’s order to supply MiG-29K fighters for INS Vikrant aircraft carrier. Russia has already provided all the necessary information to the Indian side on a possible contract, said a source to TASS.
“The Indian side has not yet issued even a call to bid in a tender for the supply of deck-based aircraft, although the Indian side made the relevant inquiry back in 2017,” said the source.
INS Vikrant is expected to carry up to 14 MiG-29K fighters and several helicopters.
The MiG-29K / KUB are multipurpose fighters of the 4 ++ generation, designed to solve the problems of air defense of naval formations, gain air superiority, defeat surface and ground targets with guided precision weapons in all weather conditions. They are able to reach speeds of over 2 thousand km / h and fly over a distance of up to 1.5 thousand km. The MiG-29K / KUB fighters are the main carrier-based aircraft of the Indian Navy.