MiG-29K Multirole Fighter Aircraft | UPSC
HEADLINES:
Aircraft carriers to get Indian jets by 2032
WHY IN NEWS:
They will replace MiG-29Ks
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Defence
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS you should know the replacement , features , specifications and its role in Indian Navy .
For MAINS do you think this aircraft needs more state of art technology integration ?
ISSUE:

- The Navy is expected to start receiving new twin-engine aircraft carrier-based fighter aircraft being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) by 2032 .
- This will be a replacement for the Russian MiG-29K carrier jets in service.
MiG-29K
- The Mikoyan MiG-29K is a Russian all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau.
- The MiG-29K was developed in the late 1980s from the MiG-29M.
- Mikoyan describes it as a 4+ generation aircraft.
FEATURES
- HOTAS (hands-on-throttle-and-stick) controls.
- Air-to-air missiles.
- Along with missiles for anti-ship and anti-radar operations.
- It has several ground/strike precision-guided weapons.
- The Navy currently has 45 Russian MiG-29K aircraft .
THE REPLACEMENT
- It will replace the MiG-29Ks in service which are scheduled to start going out by 2034.
- Last January, the naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) successfully completed arrested landing and take-off on board Vikramaditya and has since undertaken several trials.
DECK-BASED FIGHTER
- Based on the experience of the carrier landing, the DRDO has offered to develop a twin-engine deck-based fighter for the Navy.
- With the successful deck-landing, they decided to drop the naval LCA Mk2 and move on to the twin-engine jet.
- The new jet being developed by DRDO should be ready by 2026.
IASbhai WINDUP:
The Navy is currently evaluating the responses to the Request For Information (RFI) from Boeing with its F-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation with its Rafale jets.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | MiG-29K Multirole Fighter Aircraft | UPSC
DISCOVER MORE : DEFENCE
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