The reader might think that this column is a proposal for a new fighter aircraft development project in partnership with Russia. Especially on the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to that country. After all, the acquisition and operation of MiG aircrafts have been a cornerstone of Indo-Russian defense relations.
The MiG-21 became a backbone of the Indian Air Force since the early 1960s and it was the most prominent aircraft supplied by the Soviet Union. If MiG-21 played a stellar role in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, then MiG-21 and MiG-27 were very effective in Kargil in 1999. The experience of operating and maintaining the MiGs contributed significantly to India’s indigenous aircraft program, and HAL’s Tejas is a testament to that development.
There is a MiG-29 upgrade programme with enhanced avionics, radar and weapon systems. There is no MiG-47 aircraft in sight (and some people confuse the Sukhoi-47 with MiG-47). Besides India seems to be veering away from MiG series toward Tejas and Dassault’s Rafale.
This column hence is about a new and more ambitious project ‘MIG’-47 which is Make India Great by 2047. This may sound like ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) campaign of President Trump! Or it is in the same spirit of ‘Vikasit Bharat 2047’ announced by our PM, which aims to see India a developed country by 2047 when we celebrate hundred years as an independent nation. ‘MIG’-47 is about working for the glory of our nation.
Before we proceed, .
