Russia to Offer its Latest MiG-35 Fighter to India

LUKHOVITSY. Russia is to offer the latest variant of its MiG-35 Medium Multi Role Aircraft (MMRCA) for production in India.b

- Vinay Shukla

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin told India Strategic during the unveiling ceremony of this aircraft January 27 that the aircraft should meet the Indian Air Force’s technical specifications for its large requirement, and that the aircraft was now undergoing preproduction “rigourous weapon trials” but it should be available for export by 2020.

Russia is keen for joint production in India. “Yes, sure, we will offer the MiG-35 to India under Prime Minister Modi’s make in India programme” and that will be on the agenda of the newly setup Joint Military-Industrial Conference to be held in New Delhi in the coming weeks.

Russia displayed the fighter to representatives from some 30 countries, including India, at the air field of Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG at Lukhovitsy, 140 km south-east of Moscow. Positioned as 4++ generation fighter the new MiG-35 has a speed of 2.23 Mach.

(Notably, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Moscow end-January to work out the bilateral defence and diplomatic cooperation. India has already agreed to manufacture Kamov Ka-226T helicopters at HAL’s facility in Bangalore, and most of the equipment with the Indian forces, Land, Navy and Air, is of Soviet/Russian origin).

Kremlin’s India point-man, Mr Rogozin is scheduled to co-chair the maiden session of the new body with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The joint Indo-Russian Military-Industrial Conference was set up by the leaders of the two countries at their Goa summit in October for discussing the whole range of issues covering defence R&D, joint production of military spares, maintenance and servicing of the Soviet/Russian origin hardware.