India’s Air Force Receives Advanced Soviet Jet Fighters

Soviet-built MIG-29 fighter aircraft were formally inducted into India’s air force Sunday, and the country’s defense minister said the new planes make it one of the most modern forces in the world.

The Press Trust of India said India’s air force is the first outside the Soviet Union to be equipped with the all-weather interceptor, which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization calls the Fulcrum. The twin-engine plane, called the Baaz by India, is capable of flying at more than twice the speed of sound and operating from runways just 500 yards long. The news agency said the planes are armed with air-to-air missiles with a range of more than 20 miles and four close-combat missiles.

Defense Minister K. C. Pant, in an apparent reference to Pakistan’s acquisition of F-16 fighters from the United States, said advanced weaponry had been introduced into India’s neighborhood and “we have to respond adequately.” He spoke at the induction ceremony at Poona, in western India.