MiG-35 - Russian Service

In 2017, Viktor Bondarev, while serving as commander in chief of the VKS, said that the entire fleet of light fighters would be replaced by a MiG-35. However, according to an informed source "Interfax", the Russian military will not massively buy new MiG-35 fighter jets. "There will be no transition of the entire light fighter aviation to this class in the near future," the agency’s source said in March 2018.

The Ministry of Defense's interest in the MiG-35 over the past years since the fighter began to be developed in the first half of the 2000s [its rollout took place in 2007] developed in a sinusoid - soared to a maximum, then fell to zero and rose again. A number of experts assumed that the novelty of a number of technical solutions used in the MiG-35, made the Russian military thoroughly study the aircraft. It was stated that the decision to purchase new fighters of the Defense Ministry will be taken after the results of the Indian tender MMRCA for the supply of 126 multipurpose combat aircraft were summarized. In this contest MiG-35 participated and in 2011 lost.

Under the state arms procurement program through 2020, the Russian Air Force was to buy an estimated 50 MiG-35 fighter planes. However, the specifications and performance of the domestic fighter, due to be adopted by the country’s air force, had not been clarified to date. The previous high command of the Russian Air Force was leery of the very idea of buying these warplanes and the possible modernization of operational MiG-29s. So far there is no reason to believe that the new Air Force commanders will drastically change their approach.

The Russian Defense Ministry postponed the purchase of 37 MiG-35 fighter jets until 2016, Kommersant daily reported 17 August 2013. The ministry was originally due to sign the purchase agreement with MiG in June, but last month the aircraft corporation's general director Sergei Korotkov told RIA Novosti that the contract had still not been signed. The ministry will now sign the contract in 2016, thereby putting off spending about 37 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) from the state armament program budget to a later payment period, as requested by the Finance Ministry, Kommersant said.

The newspaper cited a Defense Ministry source as saying that the ministry had not been able to issue the order over delays in drawing up the design. “At the same time as that was going on, we received a proposal from the Finance Ministry to delay spending until 2016 part of the funds allocated within the state arms program for 2014-2016,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying. “After analyzing [the situation] we made the decision to put back the purchase of the MiG-35s,” the source said, adding that the number of jets the ministry plans to buy – 37 – remains unchanged.

The development of the project of a promising Russian fighter MiG-35, which seemed completely determined at the beginning of the summer of 2013, was again in question. Instead of the expected signing of a contract for the supply of 37 new aircraft, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to postpone the purchase of the fighters for three years and agreed to purchase 16 MiG-29SMT. The next postponement of the delivery of the MiG-35 to the troops showed that the military seems to have little interest in buying a new fighter, preferring to order time-tested machines such as the MiG-29. Initially, the Russian Defense Ministry planned to purchase the first batch of 20-30 MiG-35s back in 2009, when Sukhoi Company received the first contract for the supply of 48 new Su-35 heavy fighters. At the same time it was alleged that by 2015 the Air Force of Russia will form two air squadrons, manned by MiG-35 fighters. But the agreement was never signed. Later, the military announced another acquisition of the new aircraft several times, arguing that the first combat aircraft of a new type would begin to arrive in troops as early as 2014. By mid-2014 the Russian aircraft-manufacturing corporation MiG was considering the possibility of building a fifth-generation fighter. The new aircraft may be based on the MiG-35, and will be further enhanced by advanced avionics and weapons. According to MiG managing director Sergei Korotkov, the corporation's experts are already working on a concept for the new fighter. "I know that this is one of the ideas, one of the directions that the design bureau is working on. I very much hope that soon we shall develop this area of work more seriously," he said.

The MiG-35 will be tested in 2017, and in 2018 will start to arrive in the Aerospace Forces (VKS) Russia, the head of the directorate of military aircraft of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Vladimir Mikhailov programs told Tass 09 June 2016. "Under the contract with the Ministry of Defence on the MiG-35 is now going on OCD (development work - approx Tass.) They come with little behind schedule due to the fault of enterprises cooperation, delaying deliveries of components, but we can say that in general the problem. solved, we catch up with the schedule in 2017 will be a very brief time trial machine, since there was already repeatedly proven its prototype in 2018 the aircraft will be supplied in part VKS "-.. Mikhailov said.

The contract with the Ministry of Defence for the supply of MiG-35 had not yet been signed, said a spokesman for the KLA. "First you have to make a plane, and then to sign a contract How many cars will be purchased -. Now the exact figure will not name, but previously planned purchase of 37 aircraft," - said the head of the directorate of the KLA. Previously CEO of RAC "MiG" Sergei Korotkov said that the flight tests of the MiG-35 pre-production batch would begin in 2016. RAC "MiG" expected to enter into a contract for serial deliveries of MiG-35 Russian military is not the first year. Earlier, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said that under the state program of armaments to 2020 the military should get 30 of these machines. Later, Commander of Air-Space Force Viktor Bondarev reported that the aircraft will enter the army in 2018.

Serial purchases of the MiG-35 multirole fighter under the state arms procurement program will begin in 2019, President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yury Slyusar said 26 January 2017.

On 26 January 2017, at Lukhovitsy near Moscow production complex Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (part of the KLA) began flight tests of the new multirole fighter MiG-35 (NATO classification - Fulcrum-F). The state program of armaments development until 2020 provides for the delivery of MiG-35 Russian VKS. Fighters have to be tested in 2017, in 2018 is expected to start deliveries. Earlier VKS Commander Viktor Bondarev said that the plan to purchase more than 30 such machines.

All light fighter aircraft Air Space Forces (VKS) Russian armed aircraft will soon be of the MiG-35, the Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev said 27 January 2017. "In a short time, and we will change the whole light fighter aircraft precisely this class". According Bondarev, fighter purchases will go to the extent necessary. "It will be as necessary is not to say that tomorrow we drop everything and will buy 170 aircraft are now specifically say how much we take them, no one will say.." - Bondarev said. He also said that the MiG-35 will receive the "Swifts" aerobatic team, which now flies the MiG-29. "I think it is not far off the hour when we "Swifts" retrain at this wonderful aircraft," - the commander in chief said.

Director General of RAC "MiG" stated 06 March 2017 that the newest fighter test will last about two years. "We have over the next two years is planned to conduct tests until the contract (for mass production) is not, we have a contract for the development of this aircraft.", - Said the head of the corporation. He noted that under the existing contract RAC "MiG" has produced two of the plane and started testing. "As long as the car behaves perfectly, and I believe that we are on schedule for testing," - he said, adding that as long as test pilots RAC "MiG" is looked upon as the MiG-35 behaves in the air. "While we are flying on aircraft performance, are working on a program course management systems in the test program includes a question regarding the use of all types of aircraft destruction." - Said Tarasenko.

When the Defense Ministry said that the plane was needed, a number of experts spotted an attempt to help the MiG corporation. Unlike the direct competitor of Sukhoi, which made the Su-57 , it produced only upgraded versions of the twenty-ninth. And the story of the Indian MiG-29K, which in the end did not suit the customer, only aggravated the situation.

In 2019, the VKS RF will receive only four serial MiG-35s. In a year it was planned to conclude another contract for 14 aircraft with a validity of three years. It turns out that by 2023, in the structure of the Russian Aerospace Forces, at best, there will be 18 light MiG-35 fighters, not counting two combat training MiG-35UBs.

The structure of the Russian Aerospace System of the Russian Federation is about 120 MiG-29 , not counting the ships. In theory, you should order at least 30-40 cars. But this was not done, which means either limited funding for the program or doubts about the indispensability of such an aircraft in the future. However, when compared with the Mig-29, the "thirty-fifth" is a very good option, better armed and equipped with modern avionics.