IAF seeks urgent upgradation of MiG-29 fighters to carry long-range, high-speed ground attack missiles

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, August 12

The Indian Air Force has projected an “urgent requirement” for upgrading its MiG-29 fighter aircraft with new stand-off ground attack weapons and associated avionics and control systems that would enhance their operational capability.

Initially, 24 MiG-29 aircraft would be modified to carry the High Speed Low Drag (HSLD) Mark-II stand-off weapon, having a strike range of over 180 kilometers, that would require retrofitting additional hardware as well as software on the aircraft. The MiG-29 is primarily an air defence fighter.

Stand-off weapons are missiles or bombs which are launched from a sufficient distance away from the target to allow the attacking aircraft to evade enemy retaliation. These are used against surface targets and in most cases are precision guided.

IAF officers said that a request for proposal was floated by the Ministry of Defence on August 7, inviting industrial partners to undertake the project that would be overseen by the IAF’s No.11 Base Repair Depot.

According to a statement of case issued by the IAF for the indigenous production of HSLD Mk-II, these missiles are already deployed on the IAF’s Su-30 and Jaguar fighters and there is a requirement to manufacture these weapons within the country.

Modifying the MiG-29 for the HSLD would involve designing and integration of suitable bomb racks to be carried on the aircraft’s external hardpoints under the wings or fuselage and development of an avionics and software package along with cables and associated rigs.

Inducted into the IAF in 1986, about 66 of the Soviet/Russian origin fighters are in service in three squadrons. Two of them are based at Adampur and Jamnagar, while the third recently moved to Srinagar to replace a MiG-21 squadron that was phased out. In addition, the Navy also procured 35 MiG-29s for its fleet air arm. The modification of the IAF’s MiG-29s for carrying HSLDs could also have spin-off benefits for the Navy.

The IAF’s MiG-29s went in for extensive modification and upgradation during the second half of the last decade, which significantly enhanced their combat capability. Christened the MiG-29 UPG, this included modifications to the airframe along with new avionics, radar, missiles, weapon control systems and electronic warfare suite.

The IAF is also planning to undertake a second life extension programme on the fleet to enhance their service span from 40 years to 50 years. In the first life extension programme undertaken in the mid-2000s, the MiG-29s’ technical life was being extended from 25 years to 40 years. According to IAF sources, the enhanced technical life of the MiG-29 aircraft will begin expiring from 2025 onwards.

The IAF used its MiG-29s extensively during the 1999 Kargil War to provide fighter escort for Mirage 2000s attacking high altitude targets with laser-guided bombs as well as for carrying out combat air patrols. MiG-29s were also deployed in Ladakh to counter Chinese aircraft during the face-off along the Line of Actual Control in 2020.

According to reports, India is in the process of procuring 21 additional MiG-29s from Russia which would enable replacement of earlier losses and raise another squadron. These would be developed and upgraded from airframes built earlier but which never entered service.