MiG corporation starts assembly of 29 deck fighters for India

MOSCOW, August 3 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian aircraft making corporation
MiG has begun the execution of the contract to supply 29 deck fighters
MiG-29K/KUB to India, MiG director general Sergei Korotkov told reporters
on Wednesday.
The assembly of the first fighter from the batch officially began at a
Corporation's shop earlier in the day.
MiG is to manufacture 16 deck fighters MiG-29K/KUB for India. As of
now, it handed over to the customer two two-seat MiG-29KUB fighters and
nine one-seat MiG-29Ks. The other five aircraft are to be supplied before
the end of this year. The supplies within the framework of the second
contract will be effected in 2012.
In 2004, Russia and India signed a contract to modernize the Admiral
Gorshkov aircraft carrier (renamed to Vikramaditya in India). Under the
deal, MiG is to supply 12 one-seat MiG-29K and four two-sea MiG-29KUB,
ARMS-TASS reported.
In March, the parties signed a new 1.5 billion-dollar contract for
supply of another batch of 29 MiG-29K/KUB deck fighters.
According to Korotkov, MiG has also begun the modernization of MiG-29
fighters for India. Four aircraft will be upgraded in Moscow and two in
Nizhny Novgorod, he said.
Three have already been passed for flight tests to the Zhukovsky
facility. After the modernization, all the planes will be handed over to
India.
India will implement further modernization. Russia will help with
supplies of upgraded hardware, such as avionics and equipment, according
to ARMS-TASS.