Navy to deploy MiG 29Ks in Vishakhapatnam; move aimed to strengthen eastern coast

NEW DELHI: India is planning to deploy the MiG-29K naval combat aircraft in Vishakhapatnam to strengthen the security of the country's eastern coast.

The MiG 29Ks are being deployed in INS Degha near Vishakhapatnam and would be also stationed on the INS Vikrant or the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier being built at Kochi, Navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said.

India has signed a deal worth over Rs 10,000 crore for procuring 45 MiG 29K naval fighters from Russia and is the sole operator of these type of aircraft in the world.

The Navy will have three squadrons of these aircraft which would be deployed at INS Hansa in Goa, INS Kadamba in Karwar and INS Degha in Vishakhapatnam.

The MiG-29K is a naval variant of the MiG-29 land-based fighter, and has folding wings, an arrester tail-hook, strengthened airframe and multi-role capability. It can be armed with a wide variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface weaponry.