press trust of india
Zhukovsky (Russia), July 23: Russia is keen on selling its new fighter jet MiG-35 to India with the MiG Corporation’s chief saying the country has evinced interest in the aircraft and talks were on to understand its requirements.
Director General of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG Ilya Tarasenko said the MiG-35 was “the best” and definitely better than Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation combat aircraft F-35. He claimed that the MiG-35 would beat the American jet in air to air combat. Tarasenko, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the MAKS 2017 air show here, said after having presented MiG-35 in January, the MiG corporation began to actively promote the aircraft in India and in other parts of the world.
“We are proposing supply of the aircraft for tenders in India and we actively work with its Air Force in order to win the tender,” he said.
The MiG-35 is Russia’s most advanced 4++ generation multipurpose fighter jet developed on the basis of the serial-produced MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-29M/M2 combat aircraft.
Asked if India has expressed any interest in the MiG-35, Tarasenko said, “Of course they have.” MiG aircraft have been used by India for almost 50 years and MiG corporation proposes its new products to India among the first countries and intends to continue supplying India with its most modern aircraft, the MiG chief said.
Asked about the current status of the proposal of the aircraft to India, he said, “We are in the negotiation stage where talks on technical and technological specifications that MiG can present to India and the requirements that India has for this aircraft were taking place.”
“Since this is a very new plane, it will still take some time to negotiate on exactly what India needs and adjust the product to it,” he added. Talking about the cost of the plane, Tarasenko said it was economical due to the after-sales services being offered along with the aircraft. “We propose not just the aircraft, but also training for its use, as well as after-sales servicing where we take upon the responsibility to service it for 40 years,” he added.
He stressed that in comparison to its competitors; the prices offered by MiG were 20-25 per cent cheaper, making it an attractive option for those who wish to purchase this aircraft.
Highlighting the main features of the MiG-35, Tarasenko said its technical specifications were close to a fifth generation aircraft, namely its flight capabilities, its new weapon range and defence systems, including stealth.
Pakistan receives Mi-171E choppers
Moscow: Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province has received a Mi-171E non-combat helicopter from a Russian firm, the second such chopper delivered to the country this year, a media report has said. The Mi-171 is a civilian variant of the Mi-17 military cargo helicopter, which is already in service in the Pakistan Army. “I am confident the convertible Mi-171E handed over to the customer will perform decently when accomplishing any missions, whether in passenger and freight carriage or in medical, search and rescue operations,” Chief Executive Officer of Russian Helicopters Andrei Boginsky was quoted as saying by the Russia’s TASS news agency. In the case of a medical emergency, the chopper can be used as an ambulance as it has the capacity to carry 14 stretchers if seats are replaced.
