MiG-27 Bahadur
The MiG-27ML fighter bomber manufactured in 1982 became an export version of the MiG-27M. The aircraft was developed upon the Indian order. Nowadays, it is manufactured at the Nasik Division of HAL and is dubbed "Bahadur" (Brave). A small batch of 10 MiG-27MLs and the prefabricated parts for India (over 80 sets) were also manufactured in Irkutsk. On January 11, 1986 the first Indian MiG-27 was completed using the Irkutsk parts, and in 1988, the Indian-made "Bahadur" aircraft production started.
The MiG-23 met the requirement for a Tactical Air Strike Aircraft (TASA). With the various development programs to enhance the operational performance of the HF-24 Marut by HAL abandoned for one reason or the other, the Government of India concluded an agreement with the Soviet Union for the MiG-23 variable-sweep fighter. Four squadrons, then flying the HF-24 and Sukhoi Su-7 were re-equipped with the MiG-23BN and induction into IAF service of this swing-wing fighter. Nos. 10 and 220 Squadrons were shortly operational on the new type and Nos. 31 and 221 followed to add a considerable measure of potency to the offensive air support formations of the IAF.
The dedicated strike derivative, selected for licence production by HAL, was the MiG-27M which shared the overall configuration of the MiG-23BN but was optimised for low-level, high-speed performance. The last Sukhoi Su-7 Squadron (No.222) became the first MiG-27M unit and the Ajeet light fighter squadrons were gradually re-equipped with the MiG-27ML, No.9 being followed by Nos.18,22 and lately, No.2.
The MiG-27's completed a two-year long avionics upgrade in 2004 conducted by a Bangalore-based unit of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and carried out onsite at HAL's Nasik facility. It was originally believed that the Russians or the Israelis would win the contract. However, indigenous projects tend to be cheaper because countries are not dependent on foreign suppliers and therefore not on a weak footing during price negotiations.
