SquAdmin wrote:I'm wondering, are these brand new MiG's or refurbished ones?
Sergei Korotkov, general director of the MiG company that makes the jets, told Russian news agencies Friday that a Syrian delegation was in Moscow to discuss terms and deadlines of a new contract supplying MiG-29 M/M2 fighters to Syria. Korotkov did not say how many MiGs Syria were buying, but says it would be "more than 10." (AP
Now the funnything: The M2 is based on the SMT. The SMT was (as I understand...) an upgrade package of the original MiG-29B
Additional fuel tanks in a further enlarged spine provide a maximum flight range of 2,100 km (on internal fuel). The cockpit has an enhanced HOTAS design, two 152 × 203 mm (6 × 8-inch) colour liquid crystal MFDs and two smaller monochrome LCDs. The upgraded Zhuk-ME radar provides similar features to the MiG-29M. The power plant are upgraded RD-33 ser.3 engines with afterburning thrust rated the same at 8,300 kgf (81.4 kN) each. The weapons load was increased to 4,500 kg on six underwing and one ventral hardpoints, with similar weapon choices as for the MiG-29M variant. The upgraded aircraft has also a painted path for non-Russian origin avionics and weapons.
While the M2
Two-seat version of MiG-29M. Identical characteristics to MiG-29M, with a slightly reduced ferry range of 1,800 km. It was once given designation MiG-29MRCA for marketing purpose and now evolved into the current MiG-35.
So maybe [speculation mode] the purchase is about the MiG-35 but in order to play it down its called the MiG-29M2 'from an old contract'.[/speculation mode]
At least the factory mentions a new contract as were the government mentions the execution of an old contract