Berlin International Airshow: Russia's MiG brings next generation fighter

Photo: Berlin International Airshow: Russia's MiG brings next generation fighter

But at the Berlin International Air Show, it sits on the tarmac just a stone's throw from the U.S. F-15 it was developed in the early 1970's to counter, not to mention a U.S. B-2 bomber and a NATO AWACS plane.

The airshow, known by its German initials ILA, gives more than 1,000 exhibitors from 42 countries a chance to highlight their products, with Russia playing the role of partner nation this year.

For MiG, it is a chance to highlight the fourth generation of its MiG-29, which has been turned from an "air superiority" aircraft designed for dogfighting into a multi-role plane, capable of engaging both air and surface targets.

The company has been offering different packages, from ground-up modified versions with totally new avionics, engines and airframe to upgraded versions of the Cold War original.

The company is even in the odd position of marketing upgrades to former East European countries that are now members of NATO, in order to bring their air forces to the standard of the western alliance that was their former enemy, the AP reports.

Today the company has also signed contracts with India for aircraft-carrier based versions of the plane, and is working on contracts for Yemen and Algeria, among others, marketing the plane as a mid-price solution to defense needs.

The air show is not all about combat aircraft, though it features a good number of them from a wide range of countries in addition to Russia.