By fitting its MiG-29 fighter jets with stand-off ground assault weaponry, the Indian Air Force (IAF) hopes to greatly increase the aircraft’s capability.
The IAF’s No. 11 Base Repair Depot will be in charge of this project, and the Ministry of Defence has invited industrial partners to work with them on it through a recent Request for Proposals (RFP). In order to equip 24 MiG-29 aircraft with the High Speed Low Drag (HSLD) Mark-II stand-off armament, which can hit targets over 180 kilometers away, the IAF has determined that it is urgently necessary to modernize these aircraft.
The airplane must be significantly altered in order to implement this improvement, which also calls for the addition of new electronics and software.
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Although the MiG-29’s primary purpose is air defense, this update will make it a more adaptable platform. The IAF is currently using the HSLD Mark-II missile on Su-30 and Jaguar aircraft, and the goal is to expand its use to include the MiG-29 fleet.
In order to integrate the new weapon system, the project calls for the construction of customized bomb racks in addition to the development of an extensive avionics and software suite.
If this upgrade is implemented successfully, it will greatly improve the IAF’s operational flexibility and strike capability.
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