MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The MIG aircraft corporation is currently manufacturing seven MIG-AT trainers, MIG told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"MIG has reviewed the production backlog with regards to MIG-AT aircraft. In compliance with the results, seven MIG-AT airframes can be completed at the minimum cost," a source said.
He noted that the third and the fourth prototypes, assembled by the Mikoyan Engineering Center and MIG's Voronin Production Center, were at the most advanced production stage.
According to him, the feasibility of manufacturing a batch of MIG-AT aircraft of experimental operation in Air Force colleges is still being discussed with Air Force authorities.
The MIG-AT trainer was launched into series production in 1996, with the first batch envisioning 15 aircraft. However, the production was soon suspended due to a considerable reduction in funds and for a number of other reasons.
The MIG-AT provides effective training to pilots of all up- to-date fighters, both Russian and foreign, including the MIG-29 Fulcrum, SU-27 Flanker, F-16, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter and others. After training in the MIG-AT, pilots adapt easily to a real fighter.
The MIG-AT is the world's only training aircraft with a digital flight control system that provides great opportunities for training pilots.
The flight safety of the MIG-AT is contributed to by two engines, maximum surveillance capability, protection from inadvertent spin stall, emergency modes alarm and denial system that does not allow the aircraft to get out of control even in case of errors by the trainee and ensures safe ejection at any flight stage, including from zero-altitude.