MiG-35 “formally” launched

Although the Russian MiG-35 had been offered to meet the IAF’s M-MRCA requirement over ten years back, this was in effect a “repainted” MiG-29M. Now, on 27 January 2017, there is an announcement that the Russian Air Force plans to replace its current ‘light’ fighter fleet with the newly unveiled MiG-35, when the first two pre-production examples of the MiG-35 fighter configured for the Russian Air Force were presented to military officials and media in a ceremony at Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG’s Lukhovitsy facility, southeast of Moscow. Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) commander-in-chief Colonel General Viktor Bondarev has said that all of the service’s present light fighters would eventually be replaced by the new MiG-35. The MiG-29M/M2 designations are for similar aircraft offered for export, for which Egypt is reportedly the launch customer, with a contract for 46 aircraft.