Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 46)

Q&A ON THE RECORD BIG COMEBACK FOR MIG There was a time when MiG was synonymous with Russian ﬁghter aircraft. But that changed with the end of the Cold War. From the 1970s on, MiG had been focused on the development of the MiG29 family and on the heavyweight MiG-31. But in the world after 1991, the MiG-29 was handicapped by short range and the MiG31 was too large and specialized for most customers. The result: The once-underdog Sukhoi bureau and its outstanding T-10 family—in Su-27, Su-30, Su-32 and now Su-35 variants—dominated the scene. In 1994, the biggest sign of activity at MiG was a group of shabby men selling potatoes off the back of an army truck in the forecourt. The I-42/44 demonstrator went nowhere, as did efforts to design a new lightweight ﬁghter. In September 2003, an article in Pravda suggested that MiG was on the edge of bankruptcy, owing the Russian government $300 million and having no signiﬁcant orders in the bank. General Designer Nikolai Nikitin, who had been brought in from Sukhoi and advocated diversiﬁcation into civil aircraft, left in early 2004. But since 2003, MiG has made a comeback, selling upgrade packages ranging from modest to extensive and providing support for the large worldwide ﬂeet of MiG aircraft—mostly MiG-29s of various models. An important contract won in 2004 has funded development of a carrier-based model, the MiG-29K/KUB, for India. Defense Technology International: What’s the status of the MiG-29 modernization program? Barkovskiy: Several prototypes of the MiG-29K and KUB have ﬂown more than 100 hr. and series aircraft are underway. We have customers for the MiG-29M—the delivery date has not been disclosed but it will be after the completion of the ﬁrst stage of the MiG-29K project. The MiG-29K and MiG-29M carry more fuel and have more power, and the weapon load has been increased from 4 to 6 tonnes. The two-seat versions are fully combat capable—unlike older two-seat MiG-29s, they carry a radar. We have also used more composite material on the new aircraft. How does the MiG-35 differ from the MiG-29? We would call the MiG-29SMT a fourth46 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2007 www.aviationweek.com/dti The biggest redesign yet of the MiG-29, with improved engines and better ﬂight-control systems and displays, the Indian aircraft has underpinned the development of two land-based versions: the MiG-29M/M2 and the MiG-35, the latter with new avionics and aimed head-on at India’s new ﬁghter requirement. With longer-life airframes and engines, and with the fuel-fraction gremlins ﬁnally exorcised—by putting fuel in place of the original design’s overwing auxiliary inlets—the new MiGs are contenders in the market. At Paris, the company projected sales of 250-300 new ﬁghters by 2020, worth between $10 billion and $12 billion, along with a potential $7-8 billion in upgrades for 1,600 aircraft. MiG has also regained dominance in the air-show circuit, through the extraordinary aerial antics of the MiG-29OVT, with three-axis thrust vectoring integrated into its ﬂight-control system. But if you talk to Deputy Director General and General Designer Vladimir Barkovskiy, you learn (not surprisingly) that the OVT (omnidirectional vectored thrust) technology is not about air shows. You also learn (more surprisingly) that it’s not all about shooting the adversary in the face with an unexpected R-73 Fox 1. DTI Editor-in-Chief Bill Sweetman discussed MiG performance, ﬂightcontrol technology and the outlook for the company with Barkovskiy in Paris. BILL SWEETMAN/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL Vladimir Barkovskiy Deputy Director General and General Designer, Russian Aircraft Corp. MiG, Moscow History: Joined MiG in 1999 after 18 years with Sukhoi, including leadership of the Su-30MK1 for India. Led development of the MiG-29K and MiG-29M/M2. Duties: Oversees Mikoyan Engineering Center, three manufacturing complexes and the Fedotov Flight Test Center. http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - July 2007

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