The Indian air force is insisting that the upgrading of MiG-21bis
aircraft by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) be
done under the supervision of experts from Russian manufacturer
MiG. A MiG team already has arrived at HAL's facilities in Bangalore
to coordinate the upgrades. "There are technical problems
with the upgraded MiG-21 bis," an air force official said.
Two newly upgraded MiG-21s have crashed in the last nine months.
Sources in HAL said there have been problems with the engine assembly
line. Air force officials also have blamed the MiG-21's R-25 engines,
which aren't being altered by the upgrades, for the aircraft's
high accident rate.
The HAL-modified aircraft have been fitted with the Tarang active
electronic warfare system, developed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical
Development Establishment; new radio equipment, and 23mm GSh-23
cannons, among other new equipment. Cockpits also are being improved
to reduce the pilot workload with the addition of a head-up display
and an inertial navigation system. The upgraded aircraft also
are able to fire beyond-visual-range missiles, similar to ones
already deployed on MiG-29s
Although the Indian air force operates several versions of the
MiG-21, only bis models are being upgraded.
