Take-off Magazine : MiG-35 passes all tests under MMRCA tender

MiG-35 passes all tests under MMRCA tender

As was repeatedly stated by ranking officials of the Indian Defence Ministry and Air Force, this year is to see the winner of the tender under the MMRCA programme providing for acquisition of 126 medium multirole fighters by IAF.

Russia

’s MiG-35 fighter – a heavily upgraded derivative of the MiG-29 family – has passed all of the phases of the evaluation trials, stipulated by the customer.

In October 2009, two MiG-35 prototypes (a singleseater serialled 961 and a twinseater serialled 967) passed a series of tests in

India

, including hot-and-high trials. The two MiG-35s kicked off their tests in

India

with demonstration flights by MiG Corp. pilots and familiarisation flights by IAF aircrews at HAL-owned air base in Bangalore. Then, there were field tests in Jaisalmer, the Rajasthan desert (hot temperature tests) and at Leh air base in a mountainous area of the Himalayas (Jammu and Kashmir), where the contenders have to prove the feasibility of fully-laden takeoff and landing in high-altitude mountainous environment (altitude above sea level about 3,500 m). According to the Indian media, the ability of the fully-fuelled aircraft hauling a standard combat load to operate from mountainous-area airfields is among IAF’s key requirements to all of the contenders.

Another stage of the trials, the tender organisers report, took place in the contender’s country. In April 2010, MiG-35 sorties were flown in the test base in Zhukovsky and the Russian Defence Ministry’s test centre in Akhtubinsk and included participation of IAF pilots, demonstration of the operation of the Zhuk-AE AESA radar and all combat load variants possible, to include live fires of RVV-AE active radar homing air-to-air missiles and smart bombs. All targets were destroyed. The Indian pilots gave raving reports to the operation of all of the fighter’s systems, particularly, the AESA radar tested in various operating modes. Mention should be made that the MiG-35 demonstrator fitted with a real Zhuk-AE AESA radar has taken part in the Aero India air show in Bangalore twice, in 2007 and 2009, of which the rest of the contenders could only dream then.

In design terms, the MiG-35 is a derivative of the MiG-29K/KUB multirole carrierborne fighter already in service with the Indian Navy. This allows commonality of air and ground crew training as well as establishment of an efficient after-sales support system. At the same time, the MiG-35 features a drastically more advanced avionics suite comprising cutting-edge electro-optical sighting and navigation systems, sophisticated comms gear and electronic warfare equipment in addition to the AESA radar. The MiG-35 is commonised with the MiG-29K/KUB and IAF-ordered upgraded MiG-29UPG in terms of weapons including a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface precision-guided munitions, but it boasts a heavier combat load, with integration of future weapons being a possibility.

According to experts, the obvious advantages of the Russian contender include

Russia

’s demonstrated willingness to transfer technologies and to team up with leading Indian high-tech companies, which ensures steady development of the Indian aircraft and electronic industries. To cap it all, the Russian-Indian aviation cooperation has never been hindered by political pressure or groundless embargoes, the two countries have refined mechanisms of resolving key military-technical cooperation problems and there is the atmosphere of trust on all levels – from top leaders to technicians.

As is known, the MMRCA programme provides for IAF’s acquisition of 86 single-seat and 40 two-seat medium multirole fighters, of which 18 are to be delivered by the manufacturer, with the rest 108 to be assembled by HAL in country. The delivery should begin within three years after the signature of the contract with the winner in the tender and be complete inside four years.

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