Indian Navy's MiG-29KUB Jet Crashes in Russia

A ship-borne MiG-29KUB fighter/ trainer, which was for the Indian Navy as part of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier deal, crashed in south Russian Astrakhan region today, killing its two-member crew, a media report said.

The Russian Defence Ministry has grounded the entire MiG-29 fleet till the probe is over, its official spokesman Colonel Igor Konashenkov told reporters.The MiG-29KUB fighter/trainer was for the Indian Navy as part of the Gorshkov aircraft carrier deal, Interfax news agency quoted MiG Corporation sources as saying.

According to MiG spokesperson Elena Fyodorova, who confirmed that the ill-fated fighter belonged to the plant, said a team headed by its General Director is rushing to Astrakhan region to assist the military in probe.

The aircraft is the trainer version of the MiG-29K that the Indian Navy fleet will operate from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov) when it joins the fleet in 2013. The navy has purchased 16 planes, of which 12 are single-seaters and four are trainers.

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