Why India Plans To Buy ‘Mothballed’ Migs From The 80s

12 February 2019

Grappling with a free fall in the number of its fighter squadrons amidst the ongoing political dogfight over the Rafale deal, the IAF is now looking to acquire 21 MiG-29 jets lying in an unassembled, mothballed condition with Russia since late 1980s. The fighters, for which Russia has offered a ‘good price’, were built in the 1980s but never assembled and flown.

Why: The 21 MiG-29s, if the deal is inked with Russia, will be assembled into fully-formed fighters of “MiG-29 upgrade” standards by Russia. IAF has so far upgraded half of its 62 MiG-29s fighters under a Rs 3,842 crore contract inked with Russia in March 2008, which is running over five years behind schedule. IAF recently got 35 old airframes and spares of the British-origin Jaguar strike fighters from France, UK and Oman in order to cannibalise them for improving the operational availability of its existing fleet of 115 Jaguars.

When: India will get the 36 new Rafale fighters, contracted from France for Rs 59,000 crore, in the 2019-2022 timeframe. But the Rafales alone will not make the numbers, with IAF down to just 31 fighter squadrons (each with 16-18 jets) when at least 42 are required for the “collusive threat” from China and Pakistan. The number will plummet further because six old MiG-21 — the infamous flying coffin that has killed 170 pilots between 1970 and 2015 — and MiG-27 squadrons will be retired in phases by 2024.

Meanwhile, a MiG-27 aircraft airborne for a training mission from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan crashed near Pokhran Range on Tuesday. The pilot ejected safely.

Courtesy: TOI