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Naval Forces News - India |
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Indian Navy Commissions First MiG-29K Fighter Squadron for its Aircraft
Carrier |
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The
Indian Navy has commissioned its first squadron of MiG-29K/KUB shipborne
fighters, dubbed the "Black Panthers," a MiG spokesperson
in India said on Saturday. The
ceremony at an airbase in Dabolim, in the state of Goa on India's west
coast, was attended by India's Defense Minister A K Antony, Chief of
Naval Staff Admiral D K Joshi and MiG Director-General Sergei Korotkov. |
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MiG-29KUB
during sea trials onboard Admiral Kuznetsov
(picture: Alexey Polyakov/MiG)
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The squadron comprises
12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs, which Russia supplied
under the 2004 contract with the Indian Defense Ministry.
India’s Naval officials said MiG-29K fighters, once integrated
with aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will “bolster the Navy's
punch with its multi-role capability,” according to the Asian News
International (ANI).
The Vikramaditya, formerly the Russian Navy's Admiral Gorshkov, is to
be handed over to India after the trials after a much-delayed refit.
The ship was extensively modified to undertake STOBAR (short takeoff but
assisted recovery) operations with MiG-29K naval fighter aircraft, as
well as receiving new air defense, communications and navigations systems. |
