Russia is seeking to revitalise production of the MiG-35 fighter jet—touted as the most advanced derivative of the original MiG-29—despite years of the aircraft appearing to be “a weapon platform without an audience,” Global Defense Corp learned.
Yuri Slyusar, the former head of the United Aircraft-Building Corporation (OAK), confirmed that large-scale production of the “4+++ generation fighter” would begin in 2025, before his departure last year. This decision is primarily driven by the war in Ukraine, as the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) urgently need to replace combat losses with available advanced aircraft.
Although the VKS ordered 24 MiG-35s in 2017 to be delivered by the end of 2027, estimates suggest that fewer than 10 have been produced to date. Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, and Egypt chose alternatives due to the MiG-35’s lack of a capable AESA radar.
The latest MiG-35 variant was advertised as comparable to heavier Sukhoi models in Russia’s inventory, despite lacking the Phazotron Zhuk-A AESA radar in VKS versions, which helps reduce costs. However, without this airborne radar and targeting Pod, the MiG-35 can only be compared to the Yak-130 or Chinese JL-9 aircraft and falls short as a standout weapons platform compared to other VKS-operated fighters.
“You pay for aircraft by the pound when you use them in combat,” one Ukrainian radar and electronic systems enterprise director told Breaking Defense. “Unlike the Russians, who have rarely used the MiG in combat, the Ukraine industry has experience maintaining both the MiGs and Sukhoi models in high operational environments.”
The MiG-35 was intended to have an increased range of up to 1,250 miles without external tanks—about 50% more than the original MiG-29—but in-flight refueling capability is absent in many MiG models.
According to the Egyptian Air Force, the Mikoyan Design Bureau had stored some old MiG-29 aircraft since 1989. Mikoyan wanted to refurbish those aircraft and rebrand them as the MiG-35. A downgraded version, named the MiG-29M, was sold to Egypt, equipped with a pulse-doppler radar.
Mikoyan aimed to integrate the MiG-35’s onboard systems with those of the Su-30SM2 and Su-35S, achieving unprecedented interoperability between different Russian fighter models. Due to international sanctions, Mikoyan could not upgrade the avionics, and no networking capability was added in the production version.
Despite the RT news propaganda, experts express skepticism about Russia’s ability to ramp up MiG-35 production amid the Ukraine war, financial constraints and international sanctions.
“This all sounds great for the people involved in the MiG program, but what are the real possibilities?” a former Mikoyan engineer told Breaking Defense. “The production plants have not had to engage in production of large numbers of MiG aircraft for decades. Do they still know how to do this?”
Severe workforce shortages in Russian defense plants and disrupted or nonexistent supply chains for MiG components have led to concerns about production capacity, as the massive Znamya Truda plant in Moscow, which once built hundreds of MiG-29s, has been largely abandoned.
The remaining assembly orders shifted to the smaller Lukhovitsiy Machine-Building Plant (LMZ). Radar and avionics production is uncertain, primarily regarding the Phazotron Zhuk-MA AESA intended for new units.
The timing of Slyusar’s departure to become a regional governor raises additional questions about the program’s viability. A former Mikoyan engineer suggested that it might be “probably not worth the unpleasantness” faced by leadership when the aircraft cannot be built on time.
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