Posted on 02/03/2007 8:08:29 PM PST by TexKat
Russia's latest version of fighter aircraft, the MiG-35, will be unveiled at next week's air show in Bangalore amid Moscow's keen interest to sell these planes to India.
The MiG-35 fighters, top-of-the-line multi-role aircraft, will be on display along with the most sophisticated jets from the US, including the F-18 and F-16, and those from other countries at the five-day Aero-India International Defence show beginning next week in Bangalore, capital of Karnataka state.
"It will be for the first time that the final version of MiG-35 fighter will be displayed," PTI reported here quoting an official of the Russian embassy.
So far, only the prototype of the MiG-35 has been shown to the public at air shows in Russia and Britain in 2005.
The aircraft, based on MiG-29M fighter jets, is a significant improvement in manoeuvrability, flight range and weapons system.
Full technical specifications of the fighter will be shown at the Bangalore air base on February 6, on the eve of the air show.
The fighter is powered by RD-33 OVT thrust vectoring control engines, which helps in enhanced performance of the plane in close air-to-air engagements.
Significantly, India and Russia signed an agreement more than a week ago under which RD-33 series of engines will be manufactured here by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
MiG-35 will be among the various other fighters to be displayed by Russia during the air show.
Russia, a traditional partner of India in the defence field, is keen to sell its fighters here in view of New Delhi's proposal to purchase 126 fighter aircraft.
It actually makes sense for India to buy the Mig-35 since the pilots are already familiar with mig-29 and India will also be manufacturing the engine anyways. Besides the Mig-29k will be operational on the new carrier they will acquire in a year or 2... Adm Gorshkov.
Do we know what price Russia wants per MiG-35 copy yet?
Krasny Oktyabr.
The time we would even get in a dogfight now is , in case by accident our plane and theirs get in close contact, but, yes, it's a thing of the passed.
Actually, no dogfighting is not a thing of the past.
There was a lengthy article in Avaiation and Space Weekly about the exercises held recently up in Alaska, utilizing F22's in large numbers for the first time both attacking and defending.
An F22 got a gun kill in the exercises. Stealthily, it crept up behind it and shot it down with its gun.
Dogfights are mostly a thing of the past, why bother?
That line of thinking got us in trouble over the skies of North Vietnam. We did learn that hard lesson - put guns back on the fighters instead of relying solely on missiles.
Ya picked a great screen name!
"Hmmm... that looks familiar.
Looks like almost a copy of the MIG-35.
"B-70"
I was thinking the same thing.
It's a thing for dead people??
The Firefox was a "MiG-31," not a 35.
"Do we know what price Russia wants per MiG-35 copy yet?"
No we dont. But we can make an educated guess based on the Gorshkov contract signed in 2004. That deal was for 16 Mig-29K fighters costing $700-800m so the average cost works out to be $45-50m. Add another 10-15% for inflation and we have roughly 55m per aircraft which fits within India's budget of $7-8 billion for 126 aircraft.
That line of thinking got us in trouble over the skies of North Vietnam. We did learn that hard lesson - put guns back on the fighters instead of relying solely on missiles.
You'll get no argument from me on that one, to not have cannon on a air frame is not wise at all.
What I am suggesting is that to build a modern plane with the thought that "This is a great dogfighter only" is not wise.
Yes it is sort of like sending a guy out into combat carrying an M16 that is missing the bayonet/combat knife etc.
Most of the time it is just weight, but if/when they need it, they need it real bad.
Remember Stalins reaction to Truman's news of his super weapon during the Potsdam conference.
That was due to Stalin already knowing about it (Thank you very much Rosenbergs and Harry Hopkins).
Now an engineer has recently been arrested for selling secrets on the B-2.
But I doubt that's the only spy the the Chinese have infiltrated into the stealth aircraft programs. The Soviets had two entirely separate spy rigns infiltrate the Manhattan project.
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