The Russian MOD has reportedly received the first two MiG-35 multirole fighters under a contract for six signed last August. The other four will be delivered before end of 2019, according to an Interfaks news agency source.
The first two MiG-35s were ready for acceptance testing in December, but there’s no official word that the MOD has received them. The MOD said its pilots were testing the MiG-35’s maneuverability and aerodynamic stability at the State Flight-Test Center in Akhtubinsk in late 2018.
The MiG-35 has “deeply modernized” RD-33MK engines and an on-board radar capable of detecting and tracking 30 airborne targets at 160 km, and engaging six airborne and four ground targets simultaneously. The fighter has nine hardpoints for carrying air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons.
In 2017, then VKS CINC General-Colonel Bondarev claimed the entire Russian light fighter inventory (MiG-29s and variants) would be replaced with MiG-35s. However, the Interfaks source says the VKS isn’t planning on making a large MiG-35 purchase at least in the near term.
Most Russian MiG-29s are essentially inactive or located at training bases. But fighter regiments in Kursk and Millerovo as well as the Russian air base in Erebuni, Armenia still have a handful of operational MiG-29 and MiG-29SMT squadrons.
2 comments
I’m no military expert, but simultaneously engaging six airborne and four ground targets seems a wee bit far fetched to me.
So…with 9 hardpoints, the only way to simultaneously engage 6 airborne targets is to fire off 6 AA missiles in one pickle.
Then, at the same time, drop off 3 rockets/bombs/whatever toward 3 locked-on ground targets, while also firing off some kind of onboard gun at your 4th ground target, for a total of 10? Hmmm…then you TURN AROUND AND LEAVE…CAUSE YOU’RE EMPTY lol