Dubai: Eyebrows were raised when India signed a deal last Friday to buy 29 MiG-29k fighter aircraft worth $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion) from Russia during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to the country. This was part of a broader deal to purchase $7 billion worth of military hardware from New Delhi's traditional supplier of arms, including an aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov.
Problems
Over the years, the reputation of the Russian aircraft manufacturer Mikoyan — especially its MiG-21 plane — has suffered due to the high number of crashes that have led to the deaths of many fighter pilots, with the Indian press branding the jets as "flying coffins". Indeed, the plot of a blockbuster Amir Khan movie Rang De Basanti revolves around the death of a pilot in one such MiG-21 crash.
But leading Indian defence analysts have dismissed all such fears. Speaking to Gulf News from New Delhi, Dr Thomas Mathew, Deputy Director-General at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said that the MiG-29 was a "different and very efficient aircraft". "I have spoken to many navy aviation people who have flown this jet, and it is a top-of-the-line aircraft."
Asked why India insisted on buying Russian military hardware and not much more sophisticated US equipment, Mathew said: "The top-of-the-line US aircraft are superior to the top-of-the-line Russian jets. But what the United States will offer is a scaled down version, and the Russian top-of-the-line version is better than [the scaled down version of] American aircraft."
When asked why Algeria recently returned a shipment of MiG-29 planes, Mathew said: "Algeria does not have an aircraft carrier. The Indian deal is for MiG-29k, which is a carrier-based version of the aircraft, and is most suitable for our navy."
India is slated to receive the Gorshkov in 2012. Currently, India only has the half-a-century-old Viraat aircraft carrier, which is not operational. And most of the country MiG-21 fleet is to be retired by the end of 2012.
Another defence specialist, Rahul K Bhonsle, who heads security-risks.com, a New Delhi-based military analysis firm, concurred with Mathew's view.
"If you are looking for a [quality] maritime aircraft operating out of an aircraft carrier, the MiG-29 is the best. It is a big leap forward in terms of technology. It's quite a modern fighter. Under the circumstances, I think it is a very good deal for the Indian navy."
Shopping spree
Currently, the Indian Air Force is seeking to buy 126 fighter aircraft, in a whopping $11 billion deal, considered the country's single largest ever. MiG-35s of Russia, F-16INs from Lockheed Martin and the F/A-18E/F of Boeing of the United States and JAS 39 Gripen from Saab of Sweden, among others, are vying for the deal, known as the MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) Tender.
"Despite all the rumours, no one is sure who will get the MRCA Tender. Only the first phase of trials is over. The second phase is slated for this September. We may not know till the next two years who will bag the contract," said Bhonsle.
