ST. PETERSBURG. Jan 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia suggests promoting the joint Russian-French MIG-AT training aircraft in third countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said.
"The MIG-AT aircraft is one of joint Russian-French projects. It has already come into existence," Ivanov said at a news conference in St. Petersburg on Thursday.
He noted that the aircraft had been tested by the Russian Air Force and that the corresponding certificate had been handed over to the French defense minister.
"The issue at hand consists in promoting the aircraft in third states," he noted.
At the same time, he emphasized that it was a joint commercial venture.
He noted that the Russian-French military technical cooperation would also embrace heavy helicopters of interest to both Russia and France.
The MIG-AT is the world's only trainer, fitted with a digital flight control system, which opens new vistas in pilot training. The aircraft provides for an efficient training of pilots of all contemporary fighters, both Russian and foreign, such as MIG-29 Fulcrum, SU-27 Flanker, F-16, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter, etc. Pilots, trained on the MIG-AT, can quickly adapt for a combat fighter.
The MIG-AT's flight safety is considerably increased by two French Larzac engines. The aircraft features a good field of view, while a special system prevents the aircraft from going into a tailspin even after a gross error of a trainee.
The MIG-AT has a two-man strong crew, a maximum takeoff weight of about six tonnes, a maximum speed of about 900 kmph, a range of about 3,000 km, and a service ceiling of about 16,000 m.
The potential demand for the aircraft amounts to 500-600 pieces, while the profit from exporting the aircraft to third countries may total $8-9 billion, the MIG aircraft corporation says.