Russia to mass produce multi-role MiG-35 warplane in 2019: Officials

Boris Slyusar, head of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), made the remarks about the mass production of the MiG-35 during its unveiling ceremony in the town of Lukhovitsi near Moscow on Friday, adding that “until then, there will be flight tests which will be completed by that time.”
 
Meanwhile, MiG Director General Ilya Tarasenko announced that the aircraft would be employed by the Russian Aerospace Forces next year.
 
The MiG-35, classified as a 4++ generation jet, is a greatly upgraded aircraft based on the earlier MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB airframes, featuring improved combat capability and flight performance characteristics.
 
Russian authorities expect that the lightweight fighter, developed jointly by the UAC and its subsidiary Mikoyan, the MiG company, will appeal to foreign customers.
 
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who was present at the ceremony, noted that “the operational expenses” of the MiG-35 is lower compared with those of the Sukhoi jets, and “that is why our partners should be more willing to buy them.”
 
On Thursday, the UAC and Mikoyan demonstrated the advanced warplane to the Russian government in Lukhovitsi through a widely publicized event, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin was reported to have watched the ceremony via remote video due to poor weather conditions in the region.