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Arun Mohanty in Moscow
The Russian Air Force chief has created a sensation by ruling out induction of the MiG Advanced Trainer, which Moscow is keen to sell to India.
General Anatoly Kornukov has said he is opposed to the induction of the advanced jet trainer in his force as it is equipped with an obsolete engine, the business daily Kommersant reported.
A team of Russian experts recently made a presentation on the MiG-AT to the Indian Air Force after New Delhi's negotiations with British Aerospace Systems for the purchase of 66 AJTs ran into trouble. Russia has been making a pitch to sell the AJT to India for almost five years now.
The MiG-AT, developed with French help, has not yet entered serial production.
"The MiG-AT has been equipped with an engine of day-before-yesterday," Gen Kornukov was quoted as saying.
The Russian defence ministry is yet to decide whether to induct the MiG-AT or the Russian-Italian made Yak-130 as the new AJT for the Russian Air Force, said sources close to the defence establishment.
Gen Kornukov's statement is being seen in Moscow as a rejection of the MiG-AT in favour of the Yak-130.
Kommersant said the MiG-AT's engine -- the Larzac 04-R20 -- was obsolete as it was manufactured in the 1970s for an experimental vertical take-off French aircraft, which never entered serial production.
IAF pilots have made test flights in the MiG-AT and were apparently convinced about some of its advantages, Russian defence ministry sources said.
But Gen Kornukov's opinion of the MiG-AT may deal a serious blow to its reputation and create problems in negotiations for its sale to India.
Indo-Asian News Service
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