MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia’s advanced Mikoyan MiG-35 multipurpose fighter jet whose flight tests had begun had a good export potential.
"This plane already has a good export potential. I mean that another aircraft, MiG-29, is actively used in more than 30 countries," Putin said during a video link with Russia’s MiG aircraft-building corporation held on the occasion of the start of MiG-35 fighter jet flight trials.
Putin expects a new medium-range turboprop aircraft of MiG corporation will be ready in time.
"Production of a civil aircraft highly sought in the national economy and in high demand by our people is planned at one of MiG enterprises. A medium-range turboprop aircraft for use on domestic civilian routes is meant. I highly expect this work will be done in due time," Putin said.
The test flights of the newest MiG-35 fighter jet began on Thursday, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yuri Slyusar, said. "The serial purchases of the aircraft will start in 2019," Slyusar said.
He added that all the aircraft’s systems are designed and made in Russia.
Russia’s advanced MiG-35 fighter jet will be able to use promising weapons, including laser armaments, he went on.
"The fighter aircraft has been specially designed for conducting warfare amid increased intensity conflicts and highly dense air defense. The available high indicators have been achieved thanks to a set of onboard equipment mounted on the plane along with a new optical location system and radar signature reduced by several times," he said.
"We have increased the number of weapons bay points from six to eight, which allows using both current and promising types of airborne destruction means, including laser weapons," he said at a meeting of the military and industrial commission.