India's Navy to put into service MiG-29K in February.

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NEW DELHI, February 2 (Itar-Tass) - India's Navy will officially put
into service Russia's carrier-borne fighters MiG-29K at the INS Hansa
airbase in Goa on February 19, the Hindustan Times daily reported on
Tuesday.
Sixteen MiG-29K will be based on India's Vikramaditya carrier, a
revamped version of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft cruiser that is being
upgraded at the Sevmash shipbuilding complex in Severodvinsk, Russia's
north-west. India's Navy will receive the carrier in 2012-2013. Until then
the fighters will be deployed at the Hansa naval base.
In March 2004 India bought the 45,000-tonne Admiral Gorshkov aircraft
carrier and MiG-29K fighters under a 1.5 billion dollar deal. Of them 526
million U.S. dollars went for the fighters.
Last December the fighters were delivered to the Hansa naval base in a
knocked down condition.
At present, the Russian technicians and pilots stay in Goa to
reassemble and train India's pilots to take over maintenance and
operations, a Navy spokesperson said.
According to the daily, India plans to seal a 1.2 billion U.S. dollar
deal for more 29 MiG-29K fighters.

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