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Monday, December 10, 2012

'The Fulcrum Has Landed' - Air Force's Upgraded MiG-29UPG Arrive Back In India

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG put out a press release today informing that the first 3 of Indian Air Force's [IAF] upgraded MiG-29 aircrafts - MiG-29UPG - have retuned back to India.

Indian-Air-Force-MiG-29-UPG

via Chindits

The IAF has planned to upgrade their entire fleet of 68 'Fulcrum' fighter aircrafts1, extending its service life and improving its capabilities.

"The contract provides repair and modification of aircraft for the purpose of extending the life up to 3,500 flight hours and service life - up to 40 years. Developments of the RAC MiG can significantly extend the life cycle of MiG-29, which was proven by the experience of modernization in a number of countries."

- RAC MiG began to supply upgraded MiG-29 fighters to the Indian Air Force

While MiG would upgrade the first 6 airframes, DPSU HAL is expected to carry out work on the rest, using MiG-supplied kits. Not surprisingly, the programme is running 2 years behind schedule.

Godspeed

Related: India's Upgraded MiG-29 Aircraft, the MiG-29UPG - first video

1 - Initially 69. One crashed on October 18, 2011, martyring Squadron Leader D.S. Tomar, Indian Air Force.