NEW DELHI \u2014\u00a0The Indian Navy’s primary fighter operating from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya faces operational deficiencies due to defects in engines, airframes and fly-by-wire systems, according to a report by India’s autonomous auditor, the\u00a0Comptroller and Auditor General\u00a0(CAG). However, Indian Navy officials say the Russian-made MiG-29K\u00a0remains the best choice available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report said the “aircraft MiG-29K is being technically accepted despite having discrepancies and anomalies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India ordered 45 MiG-29K aircraft and equipment worth $2.2 billion in two separate orders \u2014 in\u00a02004 and 2010 \u2014\u00a0from Russia. It is the primary combat platform on Vikramaditya, which was\u00a0acquired from Russia when it was known as the\u00a0Admiral Gorshkov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MiG-29K aircraft are also expected to serve on the homemade aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which is still under construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Arun Prakash, who served as\u00a0chief of the\u00a0Indian Naval Staff, evaluated the aircraft in 1999 before the purchase from Russia. The retired admiral\u00a0said: “There are the only two fighters \u2014 MiG-29K and Sukhoi-33 \u2014\u00a0in the world capable of operations from a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier like INS Vikramaditya. There is no better fighter available to replace the MiG-29K.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Prakash is highly critical of what he called the\u00a0“lethargy” by the Russians in the manufacturing and maintenance of the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On problems with the engine, the CAG report said: “Since induction in February 2010, 40 engines (62 percent) of twin-engined MiG-29K have been withdrawn from service\/rejected due to design-related defects.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, the\u00a0serviceability of the warplanes was low,\u00a0ranging from\u00a021.30 percent to 47.14 percent, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The roots of these problems (serviceability and defects)\u00a0lie in the extremely poor quality control in the Russian military-industrial complex and dismal product support being rendered by the Russian industry to the Indian Navy for the past 25 years,” Prakash said. “This is in spite of the fact that the development of the MiG-29K has been totally funded by the Indian Navy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On how the aircraft could affect combat worthiness\u00a0of the Navy, the CAG report said: “The service life of MiG -29K is 6,000 hours or 25 years (whichever is earlier) but the deficiencies and snags in the aircraft is likely to reduce the operational life of the aircraft, thereby affecting combat worthiness of [the Indian] Navy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Detailing the defects of the engine on MiG-29K, the report noted that\u00a0“even as the RD-33 MK engine (mounted on MiG-29K) was considered an advancement over the engine of the MiG-29K, its reliability remains questionable.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
“The engine-design defects should be rectified with the utmost urgency at the Russians’ cost,” Prakash said. “Any respectable company, conscious of its reputation, would attend to this. But the oligarchs who control the Russian military-industrial complex are too brazen, for two reasons: (a) they know that India has not choice and (b) they are confident that Indian politicians will never turn the screw on them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, retired Indian Navy commodore and independent defense analyst, Sujeet Samaddar, gave\u00a0no credence to the CAG report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I firmly believe auditors have no experience or professional ability to comment on technical matters of a modern state\u00a0\u2014\u00a0just putting numbers and percentages.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Ministry of Defence\u00a0official would not comment in detail on the CAG report, but said: “MiG-29K will remain the primary combat fighter for the Indian Navy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n