60 Zhuk-MEs for Indian AF?

Fazotron-NIIR Increases Pace of «Zhuk-MEh” Radar Deliveries in the Area of Military and Technical Cooperation

The Fazotron-NIIR corporation is increasing the pace of deliveries of “Zhuk-MEh” aircraft radar deliveries for different modifications of MiG-29 fighters, which are being delivered in the area of military and technical cooperation (VTS) with foreign countries, an informed source in the area of VTS declared.

He explained that production of the radar is being realized using broad cooperative deliveries from enterprises which are included in the corporation and from other enterprises, with final assembly and testing at the corporation’s head plant.

The pace of the radar’s production has been growing from year to year in connection with a considerable increase of orders in the area of VTS. “Deliveries of newly produced MiG-29SMT fighters and of operational MiG-29 fighters upgraded into the MiG-29SMT variant have been carried out and will be carried out to Yemen, Eritrea, Algeria, and deliveries of the “Zhuk-MEh” for ship-based MiG-29K/KUB fighters for India,” the source noted.

He especially singled out the large contract with Algeria for the delivery of the MiG-29SMT fighters with the “Zhuk-MEh” numbering 56 aircraft, first deliveries have been planned for September of this year. Signing of a contract with India for the upgrade of 60 Indian air force fighters also is expected this year. “These contracts task the corporation’s production capabilities very substantially for output of the “Zhuk-MEh” – reaching a production rate on the order of 10 radars a month, that is a rate not seen in the last 10 years,” the source concluded.

The “Zhuk-MEh” is a multifunctional multimode coherent X-band radar. It can be delivered with a slotted antenna array ((ShchAR)) (four targets each) and a phased antenna array ((FAR)) (8 targets each). Both the slotted antenna array and the phased antenna array make attacks of targets according to the “fire and forget” principle possible. The “Zhuk-MEh” radar which is being exported retains a slotted antenna array (ShchAR) with mechanical beam scanning.

Source: 10.07.06, AviaPort.RU, Correspondent: Dmitriy Kozlov

Not included in the RuAF because it’s got nothing to with them 🙂

Note also the reference to Eritrea getting MiG-29SMTs.