In a move to beef up air defence capabilities, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is going to station all its MiG 29 squadrons at Adampur Air Force Base in Punjab.

The IAF also plans to induct upgraded MiG 29 aircraft sometime next year. The first lot of six upgraded MiG 29s is expected to reach Adampur by mid-2010, said an Air Force officer.

“We consider ourselves to be a strategic air power establishment of the IAF in the western sector, ever ready for operations. We are fully geared up to operate in any given time frame like any other Air Force station of the country,” said Air Commodore H S Arora, Air Officer Commanding of the Adampur air base.

The Adampur base, the second largest IAF base in the country, already has two frontline fighter squadrons and will see another squadron moving from Jamnagar in Gujarat soon.

The IAF is also working on extending the service life of MiG 29s from 25 to 40 years, for which the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG has signed a contract with the MoD to upgrade over 60 fighters in service with the IAF since 1980. The upgrade is taking place under the $950-million contract signed in March 2008.

While the first lot would be inducted by mid-2010, all the 60 fighters are scheduled to be in by 2013. “We are looking forward to inducting upgraded MiG 29s which will happen sometime next year. The Ministry of Defence and IAF headquarters are monitoring the upgrade,” said Arora.

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