Russian aircraft company MiG today signed two additional deals worth $ 55 million with Indian company Basant Aerospace at the MAKS-2013 airshow.

The deal is under the general offset contract with the Indian Air Force. The two contracts aim to build a maintenance centre in India to service MiG's avionics and hardware.

While the first $ 43 million contract will cater to the maintenance and repair of onboard radar stations Zhuk-ME, produced by Fazatron-NIIR, the second $12 million contract will have a maintenance center for the repair and maintenance of modernised fighters MiG-29UPG in India.

Delivery of six warplanes

Russia is also set to deliver six warplanes to India. MiG had signed a $1.5 billion deal with India in 2010, to deliver 29 MiG-29K warplanes. The planes were recently test flying in Goa, said officials in the know.     

Defence Minister A K Antony had told Parliament on August 27 that the aircraft, the first squadron of which has become operational, would be deployed aboard the Vikramaditya and Vikrant aircraft carriers.

This is the second such contract between the Russian aircraft construction company and India. The first deal to supply India with 16 MiG-29K was signed in 2004, and completed in 2011. The new deals are part of a general contract with the Indian Air Force, officials said.

MiG CEO Sergei Korotkov told reporters at the MAKS-2013 international airshow, and was quoted by foreign news agency RIA Novosti, as saying that Russia would deliver six MiG-29K Fulcrum fighters to India this year, as part of a 2010 contract for 29 planes worth $ 1.5 billion.

Currently, India has 21 aircraft. Under the contract, MiG is to deliver 29 planes before 2015. While one aircraft was delivered this year, four aircraft were delivered last year.

amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in

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