Bangalore (India). February 3. INTERFAX-Moscow and Delhi have previously agreed on joint production of the MiG-35 if Russia wins the tender for 110 fighters, Vladimir Drozhzhov, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, told Interfax.
"A preliminary agreement has been reached with the Indian corporation HAL on joint participation in the project," Drozhzhov said.
According to him, Rosoboronexport has already sent an offer to the Indian side for the supply of MiG-35 fighters as part of the received request for information (RFI), and during the MAKS-2019 air show, Indian pilots flew MiG-35s.
"We expect the Indian side to announce a tender for the supply of aircraft. But faster and more reliable work on this issue and the delivery of aircraft can be organized on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement, " the deputy head of the FSMTC said.
In February 2019, the deputy head of the FSMTC, Anatoly Punchuk, told Interfax that Russia had received an invitation to participate in the Indian tender for 110 fighters and intended to offer the MiG-35 aviation complex, which continues the line of MiG family aircraft already in service with the Indian armed forces.
In turn, an Interfax source in the field of military-technical cooperation said that in addition to the MiG-35, the Su-35 will also be offered for participation in this tender, since " the exact configuration of the Indian customer's wishes is still unknown."
In addition to Russian fighters, the American F/A-18 and F-16 Fighting Falcon, the European Eurofighter Typhoon, the French Rafale, and the Swedish Gripen E plan to participate in this tender.
Earlier it was reported that under the terms of the tender for the purchase of 110 multi-purpose fighters for the Indian Air Force, 17 of them must be delivered ready, and the remaining 93 are built in India under license by a local "strategic partner". The task also requires extensive technology transfer to the Indian manufacturer and training of Indian personnel. Sources in the Ministry of Defense of India reported that the cost of the procurement program is estimated at $15 - $18 billion.
The MiG corporation has previously expressed its readiness to deliver the MiG-35 to India on exclusive terms, including transferring unique technical solutions and localizing the production of fighters in the country.
