On the Record with
NIKOLAI NIKITIN, DIRECTOR GENERAL, RSK-MIG

MiG Offers Further Fighter Upgrade

Nikolai Nitkitin

ILA 2000: Russia's urgent need to extend the life of its MiG-29 fighters has created new export opportunities that could breathe life into overseas sales for the next 15 years, according to RSK MiG Director General Nikolai Nikitin.

"RSK MiG possesses technologies that allow the operating life of the MiG-29 to be extended up to 30 years and its flying time to be increased to 6,000 hours," Nikitin told Show News. The aircraft was originally designed to last nine years or 800 hours before complete overhaul.

The new upgrades-the latest of which, the SMT-2 is making its world debut here at ILA-will bestow the top-of-the-line configuration to existing customers for no more than $5 million per aircraft. This is hoped to appeal to Eastern Europe, where some 120 MiG-29s are still in service. It could also revitalize the export market for new MiG-29s, or create one for aircraft refurbished to the latest standard at a price far below that of new Western fighters.

Russia's air force has pushed for upgrades and life extension on the realization there is no new "fifth generation" fighter ahead. The improvements are offered for export by RSK MiG, Rosvoorouzhenie, and the joint Russian-Dasa venture MAPS.

MiG-29 upgrades come in three stages beyond the basic conversion to NATO and ICAO standards which Dasa can offer independently:

*MiG-29SM with an extended weapons mix of RVV-AE active radar seeker air-to-air missiles and TV-guided air-to-surface weapons.

*MiG-29SMT-1, which adds a far wider range of airborne air-to-surface weapons, modification of the basic aircraft radar, an increase in internal fuel capacity for a range of 3,000 km, and a new cockpit.

*The new MiG-29SMT-2. This differs from the SMT-1 only by a new Zhuk-M onboard slotted array radar developed by RSK MiG, the Ramenskoye-based Instrument-Making Design Office, near Moscow, and Phazotron.

By Nikolai Novichkov

©Show News 2000