On November 26, 2020, a MiG-29KUB of the Indian Navy crashed in the Arabian Sea. According to reports, the MiG-29KUB fell into the water during training after taking off from the aircraft carrier Vikramatia. In the accident, a pilot ejected safely and was picked up by the rescue team, but the other pilot and the fighter plane Sinking into the sea together, currently searching.
Although the official reasons for the above incidents have not yet been announced, the continuous crashes of MiG-29K have raised questions about the usability of this aircraft, and more and more Indian experts believe that frequent accidents are due to the The machine is caused by some outdated technology and old equipment. The
MiG-29K is equipped with an afterburner turbofan engine with greater thrust, and a tail hook is added to catch the arresting line on the flight deck during landing. According to reports, the MiG-29K can take off with a takeoff weight of up to 17,700 kg (the first take-off point), and the taxi distance is only 105 meters. The MiG-29K can take off from the second take-off point with the maximum deck allowable take-off weight of 22,400 kg. At this time, the taxiing distance is increased to 195 meters.
In order to adapt to the operation of the aircraft carrier, the MiG-29K is equipped with a new wing, which can automatically fold inward at one-third of its length. The aircraft also strengthens the landing gear frame, central fuselage and nose, and adds Flat tail area and tail hook.
However, the Indian Navy stated that only one-third of the 45 MiG-29Ks previously purchased can be used normally; and since the MiG-29K was first equipped on the Indian Navy’s Vekramatia aircraft carrier, many people have been affected. They believe that the MiG-29K has very poor stability, has all the shortcomings of this fighter series and high maintenance costs.
Since the MiG-29K/KUB was selected to be equipped on the Indian Navy’s existing and under construction aircraft carriers, the latest crash has forced the Indian military to hope to acquire 57 new carrier-based fighters.
For this reason, there have been discussions in India about replacing the MiG-29 with the French "Rafale" M carrier fighter and the American F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The advantage of the
Rafale M carrier fighter is that the Indian Air Force has been equipped with a conventional take-off version of the fighter so that it can be familiarized and put into use as soon as possible; in addition, the French Navy assured India that the Rafale will be the most ideal choice and can be easily integrated into India. aircraft carrier. But the disadvantage of the Rafale M carrier fighter is that it is too expensive.
Therefore, it is not surprising that India will soon order a batch of American F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to equip future aircraft carriers. The main features of the aircraft are the increased F414 engine with full authority digital electronic control system (FADEC), larger internal and external fuel capacity, two additional weapon pylons, greatly improved avionics, and finally some reductions Radar reflection area (RCS) measures. The whole aircraft has 11 attachment points, which can mount various types of air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-ship missiles to enhance the strength of the Indian Navy.
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