A new multi-role Russian MiG-35 fighter is displayed during its international presentation at the MiG plant in Lukhovitsy outside Moscow, Russia January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Posted on 06/25/2017 4:36:32 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Russian military aviation firm MiG said on Friday it was ready to deepen its cooperation with India, just days after U.S. arms maker Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) agreed with Tata Advanced Systems to build F-16 fighters there.
India's air force needs hundreds of aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has said foreign suppliers must build the planes in India to boost the domestic industrial base and cut outright imports.
MiG General Director Ilia Tarasenko told Reuters in a written interview that his company had been cooperating with India for more than 50 years, providing planes, service and training centers, and remained upbeat about further sales.
"We are not afraid of rivalry with the U.S. in this market," he said. "On the contrary, we believe that attempts by other players to establish cooperation with this country help us to better understand their needs and better meet them."
At the same time, he conceded that Modi's "Make in India" initiative required some changes in Moscow's approach, and said his company was ready to respond.
"Regarding improvements, we believe that it is necessary to further deepen cooperation within the framework of the 'Make in India' concept and are ready to take the necessary steps," Tarasenko said. He did not elaborate.
He said MiG's new MiG-35 fighter jet, which will debut at Russia's MAKS 2017 air show next month, was 20 percent cheaper to operate over its lifespan and offered countries capabilities that went beyond those of regular "fourth-generation" planes.
Tarasenko said two MiG-35s should complete flight tests by the end of the year or early next, paving the way for serial production once a contract was signed with the defense ministry.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
A new multi-role Russian MiG-35 fighter is displayed during its international presentation at the MiG plant in Lukhovitsy outside Moscow, Russia January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
India will choose the F-16 manufactured in India. Why?
Because India wants F-35s, and India will eventually get them.
Question: When the US upgrades a plane we just give it a new block # or add a letter after it. Does Russia just give theirs a whole new #? It looks like a mig29.
Yes, more or less. I think they do it for pretty opposite reasons also!
The US approach seems to be that keeping an aircraft designation “old” will save it from the bean counters, while the Russians think new names will make an aircraft more appealing for export.
Welcome to market competition 101: "On the contrary, we believe that attempts by other players to establish cooperation with this country help us to better understand their needs and better meet them."
Let's hope the radar people have poor eyesight: "It will be barely noticeable on the radar
Russians are working on it!: "We are working on perspective projects that by some characteristics are ahead of the current perception of aviation,"
LoL!
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