Article Posted on : - Dec 05, 2009

A File Photo of MiG-29K naval fighter aircraft.

NEW DELHI (BNS): The first batch of MiG-29K naval fighters, purchased from Russia for Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya), arrived in Goa last Friday, three years ahead of the warship.

India has ordered 16 MiG-29Ks worth USD 526 million in 2004 along with the aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, which will be delivered only by 2012-end.

"The first batch of the MiG-29K fighters' parts have landed in INS Hansa, the naval air station in Goa, last evening," Navy spokesperson Commander P V S Satish said here Saturday.

The aircraft parts landed here by an AN-124 cargo aircraft. At the Goa air base, Navy's aviation engineers would assemble the aircraft.

The aircrafts will be taking test-flights by Russian engineers before they are inducted in the Indian naval aviation wing. They have already completed carrier flight deck testing and weapon trials in Russia.

In the meantime, the Navy has decided to place a follow-on order for the MiG-29Ks from Russia . India could procure an additional 29 aircraft soon.

Indian Navy has also issued a global Request for Information (RFI) recently for a new class of carrier- borne fighter aircraft to aviation bigwigs such as Boeing, D'Assault and MiG.