Russia Delivers "Substandard" MiG-29 Fighter Fleet to Indian Navy

[Windjammer]

Friday, July 08,2016
NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s (IN’s) MiG-29K fighter fleet is being delivered by Russia in a ‘substandard’ and incomplete condition’ the UK-based IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly has reported.

Quoting senior Indian and Russian officials, Jane’s on Thursday revealed that complaints regarding the single and dual seat MiG-29K/KuB ‘s centered around Russia’s inability to incorporate all features agreed upon in the contract for 45 fighters signed in 2004 and 2010 for $2.24 billion.

These officials said this was due to the 2014 arms embargo imposed on Ukraine contracted to provide several MiG-29K components.

The embargo followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea two years ago, which in turn, resulted in a ban on Ukraine exporting any military-use items to Russia. Alongside, the US and European Union states too prohibited the supply of defence items to Moscow.

Accordingly, since Russia was unable to incorporate these systems and sub-systems onto the MiG-29K’s, the IN had little choice but to import them directly from Ukraine.

These were then integrated onto the fighters at Indian Naval Air Station at Hansa in Goa, where they are based.

Jane’s quotes one Indian specialist as saying that the fighters were being ‘upgraded and brought up to spec on the flight-line’ in Goa.

Defence analysts said this was in ‘total contravention’ of the fighters’ sale agreement and could render the contract vulnerable to cancellation.

“Since Russia is not supplying the fighters in accordance with the sale agreement, the IN is within its rights to terminate the deal” said Amit Cowshish, former Ministry of Defence (MoD) acquisition advisor.

The Russian fighter is being delivered in an unfinished condition, a state of affairs that is unacceptable by any standards, he added.

The IN was unavailable for comment.

Sixteen MiG-29’s were acquired in 2004 for $525 million to constitute air group of INS Vikramaditya, the refurbished 44,750 tonne Russian aircraft carrier.

Another 29 fighters were procured six years later in 2010 for $1.72 billion to operate off INS Vikrant, the 40,000 tonne carrier under constriction at Cochin Shipyard Limited, and scheduled for commissioning in 2018.

Deliveries of all 45 fighters, which began in late 2009, are scheduled for completion by 2017.

But industry officials said these could be delayed due to the problems of sourcing systems and components from Ukraine and fitting them onto the fighters in Goa.

In May the IN had formally announced that the MiG-29K/KuBs would succeed the retiring vertical-short take-off and landing single-seat Sea Harrier’s, and are presently the navy’s only fighters.

The UK-magazine also goes onto declare that even INS Vikramaditya is not fully equipped for carrier operations, despite its formal induction into service in May 2014.

“One of the items still lacking is a proper emergency landing barrier for other-than-normal landings aboard the ship (carrier)” an Indian specialist told the magazine.

This could result in the pilot sacrificing the aircraft at sea, hoping that recovery crews rescue him, he added.

The IN’s decision to opt for the MiG-29K was driven largely by a desire for commonality with the Indian Air Force, which has been operating MiG-29s since 1985, and reliable, easy access to parts and spares support from a wide user base.

India's selection also revived Mikoyan's MiG-29 naval variant programme, which had been flagging with limited home market support.

The IN is Russia’s sole overseas customer for the MIG-29K/KuB.

http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/...bstandard-MiG-29-Fighter-Fleet-to-Indian-Navy

 

[[Bregs]]

The western media find all faults in Russian supplied weapon systems,

 

[rashid.sarwar]

Which MIG-29 systems Russia is unable to produce??

 

[Director General]

Accordingly, since Russia was unable to incorporate these systems and sub-systems onto the MiG-29K’s, the IN had little choice but to import them directly from Ukraine.
These were then integrated onto the fighters at Indian Naval Air Station at Hansa in Goa, where they are based.
Jane’s quotes one Indian specialist as saying that the fighters were being ‘upgraded and brought up to spec on the flight-line’ in Goa.

Good to know that the issue related to the fighters standards have been solved.

 

[Windjammer]

The western media find all faults in Russian supplied weapon systems,

Quoting senior Indian and Russian officials, Jane’s on Thursday revealed that complaints regarding the single and dual seat MiG-29K/KuB ‘s centered around Russia’s inability to incorporate all features agreed upon in the contract for 45 fighters signed in 2004 and 2010 for $2.24 billion.

 

[randomradio]

Jane's has become the most useless news agency that reports on Russian and Chinese systems.

 

[John Reese]

Boeing Pitching For f-18 i guess
Still Articles Failed To Mentioned Features Except temporary Problems You face with Every new plat form

 

[GuardianRED]

The Article also fails to mention that the Russian Navy too has Ordered the Mig29K + this is actual old news , just only now everyone is waking up to !... sources also tells that the issue has been solved and all is well with the World!

 

[Armani]

@Windjammer About the OP;

Defence analyst Prasun K. Sengupta has cleared up the matter;

" Not just for the MiG-29Ks, but also for the Su-30MKIs & Mi-17V-5s. Before the European/Ukrainian embargoes, United Aircraft Corp used to source various sub-systems & components directly from European & Ukrainian OEMs. But since April 2014 that's not been possible. So India now places orders with these OEMs & once they arrive in India, they're flown to Russia to the OEMs there where final-assembly of the MiG-29K & Mi-17V-5 takes place. This is called customer-furnished equipment (CFE). It is a bit more expensive exercise due to greater transshipment costs, but it is not a great problem by any stretch of imagination. For instance, the SAFRAN-developed SIGMA-95N RLG-INS on the MiG-29K, Su-30MKI. Tejas Mk.1 & Jaguar IS/DARIN-3 are already being licence-built by HAL's Korwa Division & therefore as & when reqd such RLG-INS units are supplied by HAL to to RSK-MiG for installation on the MiG-29Ks. "

http://trishul-trident.blogspot.in/2016/07/hard-reality-versus-popular-perceptions.html

 

[Hellfire]

@Windjammer Incorrect news item (you seem to find them quite often with respect to India). I am sure the CO of the squadron will be laughing his head off tonight!!! He was basing his aircrafts in Vizag last year for fam sorties and was mightily impressed with his Aircraft and was proud of it too.

Coming back, the issue persisted initially due to the hostilities but since resolved. The IAF An-32 fleet is being serviced and is getting the support needed at the respective BRDs and the Indians managed to get the Ukrainians onboard for this project too. The Russian requirements are not being met by Ukraine, that may be the rationale here. However, Indian requirement is being met by Ukrainians.

So a false flag news. Will tag people more aware of the issue.

@dadeechi @Abingdonboy @Ankit Kumar 002

your inputs gentlemen, will be appreciated .... mine have been stated earlier.

 

[Djinn]

The western media find all faults in Russian supplied weapon systems,

That is true western media is always very biased, but being an Indian you would know that Indians love to quote western sources as gospel especially when it comes to China and Pakistan....I am not saying you are part of that crowd, but just trying to make a point.

 

[Hellfire]

As per me, Indian Mig-29KUB is equipped as under:

There is the Sigma-95N GPS/ring-laser gyro-based inertial navigation system made by Safran-Sagem, TopOwl-F HMD by Thales. Indian Tarang Mk3 TACAN navigation system made by BEL, plus SHORAN nav system, two TACAN radios, radio altimeter and UHF radio transceiver, all licensed by Thales and built locally.. The HF and VHF radios are Russian..

Foreign stores shall include Elta EL/L-8222 EW pod, Rafael Litening III targeting pod and Sagem AASM laser/GP guided bombs..

Ukrainian content limited to low noise amplifier module and quartz oscillator, made by Phazotron-Ukraine ..

so what is the issue?

 

[Tripoli]

@Windjammer Incorrect news item (you seem to find them quite often with respect to India). I am sure the CO of the squadron will be laughing his head off tonight!!! He was basing his aircrafts in Vizag last year for fam sorties and was mightily impressed with his Aircraft and was proud of it too.

Coming back, the issue persisted initially due to the hostilities but since resolved. The IAF An-32 fleet is being serviced and is getting the support needed at the respective BRDs and the Indians managed to get the Ukrainians onboard for this project too. The Russian requirements are not being met by Ukraine, that may be the rationale here. However, Indian requirement is being met by Ukrainians.

So a false flag news. Will tag people more aware of the issue.

@dadeechi @Abingdonboy @Ankit Kumar 002

your inputs gentlemen, will be appreciated .... mine have been stated earlier.

False flag news? What is that supposed to mean exactly? The news article is spreading misinformation?

 

[Hellfire]

False flag news? What is that supposed to mean exactly? The news article is spreading misinformation intentionally?

Yup. More lobbying by Western Companies for forthcoming Indian Naval Aviation expansion? That is why calling it a false flag news as there is no base for this. Have posted the subsystems I could make out above. Have tagged @Abingdonboy and @dadeechi for more information and @Ankit Kumar 002 for same ... they will be able to give more inputs and the last is more clued up about navy

@Ankit Kumar 002 where are you hiding ..? Need you here

 

[Hellfire]

First batch of MiG-29K/KUB deck-based fighters placed in service
30 May 2016 NIKOLAY LITOVKIN, RIR
Russia has formed the first wing of deck-based MiG-29K/KUB fighters and placed them into service as part of the Navy’s aviation arm. Along with the Su-33, these will now be part of the mixed wing on the only Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. Fleet headquarters informed RIR that an updated aircraft carrier group will set out to sea for the first time this summer. In autumn, the group will go on combat duty in the Mediterranean Sea.

TAGS
MIG-29KUB, MILITARY AVIATION, RUSSIAN NAVY

A MiG-29K fighter jet on display at the opening of the 2015 MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon in the town of Zhukovsky, Moscow region. Source:Sergei Bobylev / TASS

Russia is readying the first regiment (24 aircraft – approx. Ed.) of deck-based MiG-29K/KUB fighters for combat duty on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, of the Northern Fleet. Pilots are currently being trained on the new aircraft in Crimea and, starting on July 1, they will begin performing tasks to protect Russia’s maritime borders.

What kind of a fighter is this new MiG?
Andrey Fomin, chief editor of Vzlyot Magazine, said these deck-based MiGs are the latest serially produced 4++ generation fighter jets.

“Despite its resemblance to the land-based version of the MiG-29, this is a completely different aircraft. This applies to its stealth technologies, a new system of in-flight refueling, folding wings and mechanisms, by which the aircraft has the ability to perform short take-offs and land at low speeds,” the specialist told RIR during an interview.

The Su-33 was created as an aircraft to ensure air superiority in any conflict, said Fomin, meaning it is a full-fledged fighter-interceptor. The MiG-29K/KUB is a multi-role aircraft, designed to provide air defence for naval forces, as well as to destroy surface and ground targets with guided high-precision weapons, day or night and in all weather conditions.

MiG-29KUB. Source: TV Channel "Zvezda"

The MiG-29K has an advanced airframe containing a high proportion of composite materials, and fly-by-wire controls system with quadruple redundancy. The fighter’s internal tanks can hold 50% more kerosene than its predecessor. Three additional fuel tanks can be suspended under the fuselage and wings. As a result, the operational range of this fighter has significantly increased, as well as its combat loading.

The land-based version of the MiG-29 can carry a total of 4 tons, while the deck-based version of the aircraft can be armed with 6.5 tons of precision-guided munitions. Its arsenal of weapons includes the latest supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles X-31 and X-35, and air bombs with television guidance systems.

For whom was the MiG-29K/KUB originally created?
The MiG-29K/KUB was originally built by order of the Indian Navy, within the framework of a contract signed with New Delhi in 2004, under which the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov was sold to India.


MiG-35: The plane that won’t die

“In 2009, the built for India MiG-29K made its first landing on a Russian aircraft carrier with a deck similar to that of the Admiral Kuznetsov. Many systems used on this fighter jet, at the request of the Indians, were not produced in Russia. For example, there were the French navigation system SIGMA 95 and a series of other equipment which, for obvious reasons, would be impossible to put into service in the Russian armed forces,” said Fomin.

In the new “Russian” MiGs, foreign electronics have been replaced by domestic versions, and the “friend or foe” identification system has been completely rebuilt. “This is one of the reasons why it took so long to introduce these fighters into service on the aircraft carrier”, said Fomin.

Where are they preparing pilots for the MiG-29K/KUB?
Pilots for the MiG-29K/KUB fighters are npw being trained at an aviation test centre in Crimea, in the city of Saki (1,400 km south of Moscow – approx. Ed.). A ramp and landing pad that fully simulate the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov have been built, with all their propulsion and braking systems. This allows pilots to practice taking off and landing on the deck of a ship, in conditions close to real life conditions.

A representative of the Navy said that the current system of training pilots for deck-based aircraft includes preliminary ground-based training. This is the only way, in contrast to the ship, that a pilot can make training mistakes safely. For example, he might not reach the arresting gear; or, he might overfly it. This is not possible on a ship, where there are only 46 metres to the first brake cable, and if the jet fails to hook onto it, a chance for a second attempt might never occur.

Vadim Kozyulin, Professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, said the Defence Ministry, for now, has no plans to build any new aircraft carriers.

“The emergence of these new MiG-29K/KUB aircraft, as part of the air wing of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, is a very important step in the development of the carrier-based aviation school in Russia. In the future, these aircraft will become the backbone of ship-based aviation groups, he said.

http://in.rbth.com/economics/defenc...-deck-based-fighters-placed-in-service_598547

Now it beats me why would Russians be interested in raising a unit if not for Indian experience?