RSK MiG has signed a $130 million contract with Myanmar for 10 MiG-29 Fulcrums, including two MiG-29UB two-seaters, according to reports in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti.
The aircraft are reported to be airframes built in the early 1990s, and thought to come from the large stockpile of early-model MiG-29s at MiG's Lukhovitsky machine-building plant (LMZ) near Moscow.
The early-model MiG-29 is a dedicated air superiority fighter with limited ground attack capability using unguided weapons.
The aircraft were originally built for the Russian air force, which was unable to purchase them due to the funding crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The aircraft are currently going through pre-delivery checks. Myanmar's neighbours, Bangladesh and India, also operate MiG-29s. Nikolai Nikitin, RSK MiG general director, has refused to comment, as has the Myanmar embassy in Moscow.
Source: Flight International
