At present, RusAF operates a fleet of 28 MiG-29SMTs and six MiG-29UB upgraded combat trainers with commonised avionics. All of them were delivered five years ago. The delivery had been the first acquisition of new MiG fighters by the Air Force in more than a decade and a half, with the preceding delivery of new MiGs having taken place in distant 1993. The first two MiG-29SMTs (type 9-19) were shipped to the Air Force centre in Lipetsk in February 2009, with other fighters of the type having been fielded with the fighter air regiment in Kursk in the same month. In summer 2009, the regiment had as many as 10 MiG-29SMTs and four upgraded MiG-29UB two-seaters (type 9-53A). The unit in Kursk launched scheduled flight operations on its MiG-29SMT fighters in July 2009. The rest of the aircraft were received during December 2009 through January 2010.

Of the 34 aircraft of the type delivered to RusAF in 2009-10, 24 single-seat MiG-29SMTs and four twinseaters are in service with the Kursk-based fighter air regiment, with the Lipetsk-based Training and Operational Evaluation Centre and Akhtubinsk-based State Flight Test Centre each having two MiG-29SMTs and an upgraded MiG-29UB in their inventory.

The Kursk-based MiG-29SMTs are regular participants in the Victory Day parades over Red Square in Moscow. This year has been no exception: a flight of four MiG-29SMTs with the Kursk-stationed regiment flew over the Russian capital on 9 May 2014.

The aircraft have earned recognition by the flying and ground crews of the Russian Air Force. The sophisticated Zhuk-ME radar, which has ousted the obsolete N019 from the rest of the MiG-29 fighters in service with RusAF, has a range that is almost twice as long as that of the N019, is made of up-to-date electronic componentry and is far lighter and more reliable than its predecessor. Pilots have praised the MiG-29SMT's up-to-date display system, effective satellite navigation gear, increased fuel load and mid-air refuelling system. The weapons suite has been expanded considerably through beefing the in-service R-27 and R-73 air-toair missiles up with the advanced RVV-AE medium-range active radar homing missiles and an impressive set of precision-guided weapons designed to take out ground threats. To cap it all, the fighter features obvious operating advantages: the MiG-29SMT is powered by extended-life RD-33 Series 3 engines and maintained in a new manner - on condition.

The fielding of new MiG-29SMTs with RusAF combat units is likely to begin in 2015. Having fulfilled the contract, the MiG corporation, in all probability, will exhaust the MiG-29 airframe backlog at Production Facility No. 2 in Moscow and switch to making the advanced MiG-35S fighter for the Air Force.

"The current order will enable the company to face the future with confidence and will serve a good beginning for production of advanced aircraft, e.g. the MiG-35S", said Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov.

The MiG-35S is slated for delivery to the Air Force after 2016. Therefore, a decision has been made to buy a batch of MiG-29SMTs now as a quick fix to maintain the combat readiness of RusAF's light fighter fleet.

MiG Director General Sergei Korotkov reminded that the company continued the MiG-29K/KUB multirole fighter delivery to the Russian Defence Ministry. The first four aircraft of the type were manufactured and delivered last year. Now, they are being debugged and tested to prove the characteristics of their modified equipment setting them apart from the export-oriented MiG-29K/KUB. As is known, the latter use a number of foreign-made components. According to Sergei Korotkov, his corporation is to deliver the next 10 MiG-29K/KUB fighters to the air arm of the Russian Navy before yearend. In addition, six MiG-29K/KUB aircraft more will be made for the Indian Navy in 2014. The contract for 24 MiG-29K/KUB fighters intended for the Russian Navy is to be fulfilled in 2015.

(Photo: Alexey Mikheyev)