India, one of russia’s key arms buyers, has taken a highly unexpected step regarding the support, maintenance, and modernization of its MiG-29 fighter jets, which make up a significant portion of the country’s fleet—up to 60 in the Air Force and around 40 MiG-29Ks in the Navy’s carrier-based aviation.
As announced by Indian industrial giant Reliance Infrastructure, which is actively expanding its defense sector, a strategic partnership has been signed with the American firm Coastal Mechanics. Together, they are forming a joint venture to carry out the modernization of these aircraft.
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In addition to upgrading the MiG-29s, the joint venture will also handle modernization of the aging SEPECAT Jaguars, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and Bofors 40 mm L/70 anti-aircraft artillery systems. The total value of all these joint projects is estimated at $2.34 billion. On the American side, the work will be carried out by Coastal Mechanics, a little-known company from Houston that has only appeared in a couple of minor Pentagon contracts.
Nonetheless, this clearly signals an intention to cut russia out of the servicing and modernization of nearly 100 MiG-29s. russia has long maintained control over support for these aircraft, the first of which were ordered by India back in 1984 (44 jets), followed by another 26 in 1989. Around 50 of these were upgraded by russia in the mid-2000s to the MiG-29UPG standard in a $880 million deal. In parallel, India also ordered 45 carrier-based MiG-29Ks for about $2 billion. This shows the scale of business that is now slipping out of russia’s hands.
It’s also important to note that this decision follows India’s recent moves to localize russian systems. In March 2024, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited began licensed production of RD-33 engines for the MiG-29. And as of late 2023, India had announced the domestic replacement of over 3,000 components for Soviet- and russian-made aircraft. India also has prior experience working with non-russian companies on its MiG-29s, having integrated systems from Israel Aircraft Industries to create the MiG-29UPG variant.
As for the Jaguar aircraft—of which the Indian Air Force still operates around 110—their modernization is unlikely to trigger objections from SEPECAT, as the consortium no longer exists. Technically, Dassault and BAE Systems still hold rights to the platform, but India had localized Jaguar production at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited back in the 1980s.
All signs suggest that India plans to keep these aircraft in service for the foreseeable future, even though it remains the only active Jaguar operator. It will be interesting to see how American expertise will be applied to these upgrades—likely including the integration of modern weapons and advanced systems to expand combat capabilities.
This development reflects a broader shift in India’s defense strategy, reducing its dependence on russia and strengthening ties with U.S. and allied defense industries.
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