In the context of border tension with China in 2020, India urgently purchased 21 MiG-29 and 12 Su-30 MKI fighters from Russia
Russia has also offered to upgrade India's 59 existing MiG-29s
Many defense experts have questioned the purchase of more MiG-29 and Su-30, instead of the latest Rafale fighter?
Accordingly, the performance of the Su-30 is "very powerful on paper", but it is not capable of fighting compared to Rafale
The Su-30 did not play a role in the 1999 Kargil War and the 2019 Balakot air raid, in contrast, India still had to rely on the old Mirage-2000
However, Danoah, a former head of the Indian Air Force
said that he was very satisfied with the project to modernize and upgrade the MiG-21, MiG-27 and MiG-29 fighters
In 2020, the Indian Navy deployed about 20 MiG-29K carrier-based fighters near the border
to strengthen the air force to deal with Chinese and Pakistani warplanes
Despite the reliability of the engine, the MiG-29, with its maximum take-off weight of 18 tons
seems to outperform heavy fighters like the Su-30MKI in high altitude areas
Compared with the bulky Su-30, the MiG-29 has demonstrated outstanding performance in challenging environments
The MiG-29 was a relatively successful design and was used in more than 25 countries including the United States
India was the first export customer of this aircraft.
Despite its nearly 40-year history, the MiG-29 is still a serious competitor to American fighters
The MiG-29 is appreciated for its versatility, maneuverability and reliability
Currently, the MiG-29 has been deeply upgraded and modernized
including the MiG-29SMT recently delivered to Syria and the MiG-29UPG ordered by India
These new aircraft all use more advanced composite materials and better avionics
The MiG-29 upgrade is mainly equipped with a new pulsed Doppler radar
as well as an improved infrared search and track (IRST) sensors, a helmet-mounted targeting system and a new electronic countermeasure system
Improvements to software and processing capabilities enables the tracking of up to 10 targets and the simultaneous engagement of two with the R-77 missile
Improved MiG-29 armament includes R-77 and R-27 air-to-air missiles, R-73 short-range missiles
and equipped with a 30mm Gsh-30-1 cannon.
For air-to-ground operations, the MiG-29 can use Kh-29, Kh-31, Kh-35 missiles and a variety of precision-guided bombs
Military-technical cooperation between Russia and India has a long history
more than 70% of weapons and military equipment of the Indian army are of Soviet or Russian production
Another requirement for the Indian Air Force is to have a replacement for the outdated Mig-21bis fighters
They needed a light, maneuverable fighter, and the Mig-29 was in this class
Thus, it is clear that India's choice of the Mig-29 means that it is betting on equipment with which it is familiar
The first MiG-29s were delivered to India in the 1990s and subsequent modernization will further improve the combat qualities of this aircraft