Article Posted on : - Apr 16, 2014

MiG-29 SMT. Photo: MiG Corporation

MOSCOW (BNS): The Russian Ministry of Defence has signed a $470 million contract with MiG Corporation for delivery of 16 advanced MiG-29 SMT fighters to the Air Force.

The Ministry of Defence in a statement said the contract is a strategic measure for maintaining the combat readiness of the lightweight fighter fleet.

The value of the contract, including the ground support and test equipment, is more than 17 billion rubles, a RIA Novosti report quoting the statement said.

The MiG-29 SMT features add-on fuselage fuel tanks for extended range, special radar-absorbing paint, and can be outfitted with supersonic and anti-ship missiles.

The plane can perform 'blind' bombing runs at night, as well as reconnaissance missions.

The MiG-29 SMT fighter is a single-seat upgraded version of the MiG-29 SM fighter capable of using smart air-to-surface weapons.

As of 2014, the Russian Air Force had 28 MiG-29 SMT fighters, the report said.

The MoD also plans to sign a contract for the delivery of 4++ generation MiG-35S fighters after 2016, with about 100 to be built in the near future, it said.