Text:
Photo: MiG-29KUB.
Russian defense ministry lifted the ban on flights of deck-based fighters MiG-29K/KUB which was imposed after disaster of such aircraft on June 23, 2011, reports Interfax referring to Vladimir Barkovsky, director of Engineering Center in Mikoyan Design Bureau. According to him, a special commission has already found causes of the airplane crash, although Barkovsky did not specify them.
Combat Capability [42%],
Role and Missions,
Structure of the Navy,
in-service ships, surface ships, submarines, chronology.
| Tell a friend | Print version |
|---|
Defense ministry resumed flights of deck-based MiG-29
04.08.2011
MiG-29KUB crashed on June 23 during air trials. The aircraft fell down 43 km away from the Akhtubinsk air base; pilots Col. Alexander Kruzhilin and Col. Oleg Spichka perished in the accident.
Fighters MiG-29 serve in Russian Air Force since 1983. Two airplanes of this series crashed in 2008 and then all MiG-29 fighters were tested. Ninety airplanes were condemned after inspection.
As was reported late in June, Indian defense ministry decided to suspend procurement program of Russian deck-based fighters. In total, India had already purchased 45 MiG-29K/KUB to the overall sum of $2.15 bln and planned to buy a number of such fighters in addition. It got abroad later that the negotiations were not suspended, although India requested detailed information about the air crash inquiry.
According to Director General of RSK MiG Sergei Korotkov, the company is finishing execution of the Russian-Indian contract for 16 MiG-29K/KUB fighters and will start to execute the option for other 29 airplanes of this kind. As for now, Indian military have received 11 deck-based fighters which are to be stationed on aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (former Admiral Gorshkov). The ship is currently undergoes modernization in Russia and will be handed over to Indian Navy late in 2012.
Back to news list