Russia to deliver six warplanes to India

Moscow, Aug 29: Russia is set to deliver six more jet fighters of 4++ generation this year to Indian Air Force as per a deal with New Delhi, the MIG aircraft corporation said on Wednesday.

"India currently exploits 21 aircraft. In line with a contract, we must deliver 29 planes by 2015. Last year, we've delivered four planes. This year, we've delivered one plane and six aircraft remain to be delivered," MIG's director general Sergei Korotkov told reporters at the MAKS air show, Xinhua reported.

The six-day MAKS show kicked off in Zhukovsky city outside Moscow on Tuesday.

MIG signed a $1.5 billion deal with India in 2010 to deliver 29 MIG-29K-KUB warplanes.

This is the second such contract between the Russian aircraft construction corporation and New Delhi. The first deal to supply India with 16 MIGs-29 was signed in 2004 and completed in 2011.

During MAKS, the Russian corporation also signed two deals worth $55 million to build a centre in India to service MIG's avionics and hardware, the corporation's spokesperson Elena Fedorova said.

MIG's partner in those deals is Basant Aerospace Private Ltd, she added.

MIG commenced production of new unified family of multi-role fighters of the 4++ generation in 2005.

The double-seat MIG-29K-KUB is a multi-role fighter intended for air-defence missions of naval forces, air superiority gaining, sea and ground target destruction with high precision guided weapons in day and night and in any weather condition.

IANS