India Saved The Mig-29K Programme of Russia
India is considered the savior of the Mig-29K fighter programme of Russia
Very few people would know that the Indian Navy was first offered the Su-33 fighter for the Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya but the Navy opted for the Mig-29K.
During the early 2000s, the Mig-29K programme of Russia was on the verge of being cancelled as the Russian Navy had opted to go for the Su-33 fighter rather Mig-29K
However, given Indian Navy chose Mig-29K for its Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya. The Russian company Mikoyan put several efforts to modernize Mig-29K as per Indian standards.
The Mig-29K developed for India was a completely revamped version of the Russian original and incorporated new technology derived from the new Mig-35.
Subsequently, Mikoyan was able to further develop the Mig-29K for the Russian Navy. As a result, the Su-33 fighter got sidelined and never got into major production and only 24 of these fighters were ever manufactured by Russia.
Despite the greater capabilities shown by Su-33, the MiG-29K came as a cost-effective choice, cheaper to produce, smaller, and lighter, making it more appropriate for operating from a carrier with lower service cycle cost.
As a very limited number of fighters are required to operate from the carriers the Mig-29Ks were seen as a cost-effective choice by both the Russian Navy and Indian Navy.
Have India not opted for Mig-29K we never would have seen this fighter in its full glory.
