MIKOYAN SAYS THAT it is negotiating with Malaysia over the purchase of a second batch of MiG-29 Fulcrums, amid confusion over exactly which model of Fulcrum the Malaysians are to receive.
Previous Russian reports claimed that the aircraft would be a MiG-29SE, a derivative of the Fulcrum C. Images shown on Russian television of the aircraft, however, show the Malaysian aircraft without the dorsal hump which provides additional space for avionics in the SE.
In many ways, the aircraft appears to resemble the Fulcrum A, although Mikoyan says that this model of the aircraft is no longer in production.
Anatoliy Belosvet, MiG's deputy general designer, says that a second batch of aircraft is being discussed. The first of 18 aircraft already on order are due to be delivered in April.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has specified certain modifications to the aircraft's cockpit, including US-supplied Trimble navigation equipment and English-language instrumentation in some areas.
The question mark over which model of MiG-29 the RMAF is to receive also raises doubts over whether the aircraft will, initially at least, have a two-target engagement capability.
The Fulcrum A's basic NO19 radar has only a single-target engagement capability. The manufacturer, Phazotron, is offering an upgrade radar, the NO19M, which would allow a two-target simultaneous-engagement capability.
Source: Flight International