By
Vovick Karnozov
AWN Moscow-based columnist
MOSCOW, August 18, 1999 - The second day of the MAKS '99 show in Zhukovsky was much quieter than the previous one. Although the weather was good, the number of display flights was for some reason reduced.
Among the supersonic jets, only the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-35, Su-30MKI and MiG-29 flew. The Su-30MKI was handled by a French pilot with a Sukhoi test pilot in the back seat.
A relatively low number of flights produced a number of rumors and speculations among MAKS visitors. Some people said the fuel tanks at the aerodrome were depleted yesterday during the intensive flight display. Some suggested that the remaining kerosene is being saved for tomorrow, which is the Sukhoi Day.
Tomorrow Yuri Luzhkov, mayor of Moscow, is expected to visit the show site for the official presentation of the Moscow city and Moscow region exposition, which occupies three halls.
Several important contracts were signed today. Rosvooruzhenie ("Russian Armament") state arms trade agency signed two contracts. The first one was with the Republic of Belarus on the delivery of MiG-29UB twin seat training fighters. At today's briefing Rosvooruzhenie general director Aleksei Ogaryev refused to specify how many aircraft and on what terms they are to be delivered. In a brief interview with the general director of Sokol aircraft plant of Nizhny Novgorod, a solo manufacturer of the MiG-29UB, AeroWorldNet was told that the airframes for Belarus will be used ones from the Akhtyubinsk air base. They were delivered to the then-Soviet air force in 1991. Before going to Belarus, the MiGs will undergo some repair and maintenance work to get flight ready.
The second contract signed by Rosvooruzhenie today was with OHB-System GmbH of Germany on deployment of three satellites. Again, no details were revealed. Earlier this year, in the framework of a previous agreement between OHB-System and Rosvooruzhenie, the Russians deployed two German satellites, the Abriksas and MegSat. Rockets. The above-mentioned satellites were flown from Kapustin Yar cosmodrome. It is believed that the new contract is a follow-on for the same project.
There are many reasons to call Day Two of the show the MiG Day. Besides the MiG-29UB contract with Belarus and the announcement of MFI flight to take place in October (featured separately) there were two other events connected with VPK MAGo military industrial group, the MiG manufacturer. VPK MAPO general director Nikolai Nikitin confirmed information that his company has reached an agreement with Tupolev design bureau and AVIANT production plant located in Kiev, the Ukraine, on joining forces on production of the Tu-334 100-seat airliner.
Nikitin said that the export market for fighters is getting smaller, which makes VPK MAPO look for opportunities to use its production potential in the civil sphere.
"We made a careful market analysis and found out that we have sufficient resources to complete certification of the Tu-334 in a reasonably short time for a reasonable amount of money, which allows us to expect the whole program to be a commercial success," he said.
Today, Rosvooruzhenie, VPK MAPO, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) and the Russian/German joint venture MAPS announced that they reached agreement on joint actions in the Eastern Europe and other regions to upgrade operational MiG-29 fighters. Initially, MAPS was founded to support 24 MiG-29s inherited by the Luftwaffe from the inventory of the Armed Forces of the former German Democratic Republic. These airframes, built in 1988, have undergone a few stages of modernization to meet NATO requirements. Modernization included installation of NATO- type IFF (identification friend or foe) units, TACAN navigation systems, NATO-type drop fuel tanks for greater radius, new communications radios, GPS global satellite positioning systems, and so on. Luftwaffe intends to maintain its MiG-29s operations until 2004, the year when they should be replaced by EF-2000 Eurofighters.
Rosvooruzhenie, DASA and VPK MAPO signed a MOU pertaining to offering services to East European countries (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania) on maintenance and modernization of operational MiG-29s. These services would be offered by MAPS joint venture, with 50/50 distribution of shares between Germany and Russia. In all, up to 120 MiG-29s in service with East European nations can be modified to NATO standards in a way similar to that tried on German MiGs. The Russians and the Germans are forming a special joint team of specialists to offer East European countries the best solution on modernization of the MiG-29 in accordance with specific requirements of a particular customer. If necessary, the aging MiG-29s can be modified into the MiG-29SMT standard featuring a new "glass" cockpit and improved ground strike capabilities on the ways of using precision munitions.
