Russia Sends 11 MiG-29 to India

World News - Russia has sent 11 fighter planes MiG-29K/KUB to India as part of a package deal purchase aircraft carriers and fighter planes for the Indian Navy operated.

 MiG-29

This was stated by Director of Russian Aircraft Corporation-MiG (RAC-MiG) Sergei Korotkov in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday (03/08/2011). "We have sent 11 (aircraft). Five more aircraft will be delivered later this year," Korotkov said, quoted by Interfax news agency.

This purchase contract was signed in 2004, which includes reconditioning and modernization of Russia's Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier and 16 aircraft MiG-29K/KUB, the MiG-29 variants that can takeoff and land on aircraft carriers. Initially, the contract was worth 974 million U.S. dollars and will be completed in 2008.

However, in its development, it turns out the weapons package prices rose to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars and the process is delayed until a few years. According to the revised contract, the aircraft carrier and its planes will be handed over in 2012.

Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier will complement the fleet of Indian Navy and will be renamed INS (Indian Naval Ship) Vikramaditya. With the arrival of Vikramaditya, India will have two aircraft carriers.

March 2010, India ordered an additional 29 MiG-29 aircraft worth 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Russia had always been a major supplier of weapons systems India, and is still supplying military equipment to 70 per cent of India. India is currently trying to diversify its weapons systems with the main tool glance at the products of weapons from the U.S., Europe, and Israel.