MOSCOW. Nov 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian aircraft construction corporation MIG has done its part of the work to put an aviation component in place aboard the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, MIG General Director Sergei Korotkov told Interfax-AVN.
"We have fulfilled all obligations connected with the aviation component. More than 40 landings have been performed on the deck, including in nighttime. We are going to sign an act, documenting the work done and draw a line under the aviation component for the acceptance procedure," Korotkov said.
Asked how far the second (optional) contract for the delivery of deck MiG-29K/KUB fighter jets to India has advanced, he said MIG is already delivering aircarft under this contract. "We have started fulfilling the optional contract, delivering five fighter jets. The others will be shipped in 2013 and 2014. We are going to fulfill this contract before 2015," he said.
An additional contract on deck fighter jets MiG-29K/KUB could be signed in the future, Korotkov said. "We hope it will. Discussions are continuing. But these are large and effort consuming contracts. Therefore the decision must be made at the top level," he said.
The first contract to deliver 16 MiG-29K and MiG-29 KUB multirole deck fighters jets to India was signed in January 2014, and the second for 29 planes in March 2010.