George1 Wed Jul 19, 2017 8:55 pm
The number of MiG-35 fighters to be purchased for VCS of Russia is agreed upon
According to the publication of Ivan Safronov, "MiG-35 flies to the Ministry of Defense" in today's issue of the newspaper Kommersant, the Russian Defense Ministry and the Russian Aircraft Corporation (MiG) agreed on the number of the newest multifunctional MiG-35 fighters to be procured under the state weapons program for 2018-2025 years. The military will acquire 24 vehicles, six of which will go to the Strizhi aerobatic team. Signing the contract will not only load the capacity of the corporation, but will also allow more active promotion of products to foreign customers. It is almost impossible to negotiate the purchase of fighters that are not in the service of the producing country.
The fact that the Ministry of Defense, RAC MiG and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) were determined with the number of MiG-35s to be acquired, Kommersant was told by two top managers of the aviation industry enterprises and confirmed the military source.
Deputy Defense Minister for Armaments Yuri Borisov confirmed to Kommersant at the MAKS-2017 aerospace show that the purchase of the MiG-35 is listed in the new state armament program for 2018-2025, but he did not specify the exact figure. UAC President Yuri Slyusar, answering the question "b" about the number of MiG-35, scheduled in the first series purchase, said: "So far, more than two dozen." A high-level interlocutor of the government in the government explained that the draft state program is still being studied in the White House and, as a result, it will be submitted for approval to the president, but in principle the fate of the MiG-35 has already been resolved, "it is about acquiring 24 cars."
The first official information on the purchase of MiG-35 fighters appeared in 2012. Then the general director of the corporation Sergey Korotkov (now the vice-president of the UAC), without naming the exact number of aircraft, stated that the supply of new fighters in the Air Force would begin in 2014. The quick arrival of cars of this type into the troops was promised by President Vladimir Putin in a direct line on April 13, 2013. However, the process dragged on: unofficial sources reported that the transfer of purchases of 37 MiG-35 units (worth not less than 37 billion rubles) beyond the year 2016 is related to the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to transfer part of the expenditures allocated within the framework of the state program of armaments for 2014-2016. Officially, the military was talking about the unpreparedness of the industry to fulfill this order on time. One way or another, but the contract was not concluded: instead, the DGC received an order for 16 MiG-29SMT units, the last of which was transferred to the military in 2016.
At that time, the loading of the capacities of the DGCs was able to compensate orders for military-technical cooperation: MiG-29 fighters were delivered to Myanmar and MiG-29K / KUB of India, Indian MiG-29s were modernized. According to the Ministry of Defense of the package was less impressive: in 2012, was awarded a contract for 20 MiG-29K and four MiG-29KUB for the needs of the Navy (the contract is made, the aircraft became part of the 100th separate naval fighter regiment of the Northern Fleet naval aviation). In his last interview with Kommersant, RSC general director Ilya Tarasenko said that the existing order book of the corporation is enough to load capacities for the period until 2025 (see "Kommersant" on June 14). According to Kommersant's information, this load is largely formed due to the largest aviation contract, implying the delivery of 46 MiG-29 for the Egyptian Air Force for more than $ 2 billion.
According to the source of "Kommersant" in the aircraft industry, it took almost four years to fine-tune the MiG-35 "it's not the same car that was before." Presenting the plane Vladimir Putin in January 2017, Mr. Slusar noted that fighter eight suspension points, installed a new optical-location station, increased range, "it is designed specifically for combat in high-intensity conflict, in a high density of air defense" . The last presentation was attended by about 30 representatives of countries operating MiG products: in the industry they emphasize that the speedy adoption of a new fighter aircraft will make it possible to actively promote the aircraft on the international market. "If the proposed weapons are not in the Russian army, then the negotiations are complicated two or three times," - says the source of Kommersant, close to Rosoboronexport.
Expert Strategies and Technology Analysis Center Konstantin Makiyenko calls purchase MiG-35 is "purely political act": "Air-cosmic forces have relied on massive purchases of Sukhoi Su-34 multipurpose fighters Su-30cm and Su-35s, very clearly outlined their priorities . In this context, the purchase of the MiG-35 for military priority is not exactly. " Note that earlier the Air Force commander, General Andrei Yudin, said that the MiG-35 will be replaced by the Strizhi aerobatic team: thus, 6 out of 24 aircraft will go for demonstration performances
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2737394.html