THE 4.5 GENERATION CAPABILITY OF THE UPGRADED MIG-29 fighters was successfully validated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) against Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO) F-16s during the air combat Exercise Eastern Bridge-V from October 17 to 26 at the Masirah airbase in Oman.
The Block 50 variant RAFO F-16 are similar to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16s which attempted a retaliatory attack after the IAF bombing of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp at Balakot on February 26.
This is the first time that the IAF fielded the MiG-29 in any international exercise overseas. Besides the F-16s, the IAF MiG-29UPG also sparred with the RAFO Eurofighter Typhoon and the multi-role Hawk.
The IAF operates 3 squadrons of MiG-29s. Over 60 MiG29s have already been upgraded to make them more relevant and contemporary, and capable of taking on F-16-type of challenges. The last two of the legacy MiG-29s were handed over for upgrade retrofit to the IAF’s 11 Base Repair Depot at Ojhar, Maharashtra, on September 29. The IAF MiG-29 UPG has been termed the “most advanced variant of the MiG-29” by the Russian OEM, Mikoyan.
This story is from the November 2019 edition of SP’s Aviation.
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This story is from the November 2019 edition of SP’s Aviation.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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