The Russian Defense Ministry and the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation, according to multiple sources, are redirecting investment toward the MiG-35 fighter program, whose future remained highly uncertain as of 2019. That year, the Russian Aerospace Forces received six MiG-35s, but previously announced orders for several dozen units never materialized.
The MiG-35 is a direct derivative of the MiG-29, an aircraft developed as a lighter counterweight to the Su-27 and first entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1982. The new model is closely based on the modernized design of the MiG-29M, which entered production in 2015.
Although the Russian Ministry of Defense had shown limited interest in the MiG-35, it never showed any intention to procure the MiG-29M, which was built exclusively for export—with 60 units delivered to Egypt and Algeria. The main reason for this aversion to lighter fighters is the perception that they are less cost-effective than derivatives of the larger Su-27—such as the Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35.
The latter have radars that are more than twice as large, have a range of more than twice as long, and can carry significantly more weapons. The long range and powerful radars in particular are considered absolutely critical for monitoring the vast Russian airspace.
War and geopolitical upheavals rekindle interest in the “titan of the ethers”
Two key factors are believed to have prompted the Russian Defense Ministry to reconsider its stance and channel funding into the MiG-35 program.
1. The outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the resulting increase in tensions with NATO member states, which continue to build up their military presence near Russia’s borders. This has prompted Russia to expand production of the Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57, as part of a broader effort to increase its operational fighter fleet.
The Sokol plant, which builds the MiG-29M and MiG-35, has so far offered little to the Russian armed forces. Placing new orders for MiG-35s could drastically accelerate the fleet’s buildout, given that the plant has the capacity to produce 14 fighters per year—a capacity sufficient to equip a full regiment every 21 months.
Additional orders could give new momentum to the program, particularly if the aircraft is actively used on the Ukrainian front and demonstrates operational capabilities, which could attract foreign interest and pave the way for exports.
The Moscow-Pyongyang axis and possible exports of the MiG 35
2. Another reason that may boost investment in the MiG-35 is the strengthening of the strategic partnership with North Korea — a promising potential customer for the fighter. Given that China is expected to avoid violating the UN arms embargo on Pyongyang, Russia effectively maintains a monopoly on potential fighter exports to the region.
The MiG-35, like the MiG-29M, has significantly reduced maintenance and operating costs compared to the Soviet-era MiG-29, while maintaining significant compatibility with existing support and training infrastructure.
Such a feature makes it ideal for modernizing the DPRK Air Force, which has the infrastructure to absorb hundreds of new fighters—although more realistically it could procure several dozen.
Although Pyongyang is likely to be more interested in Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57, given the presence of American, Japanese, and South Korean fifth-generation fighters in the region, the MiG-35 could be acquired in larger numbers and be available much sooner.
Other potential buyers and technological upgrades
Beyond North Korea, the MiG-35 could also be supplied to neighboring Belarus, which cannot afford the cost of heavier fighters but is under pressure to replace its aging Soviet-made MiG-29s, which are nearing the end of their operational lives.
The fighter could also appeal to customers such as India, which faces increasing challenges from Pakistan’s advanced J-10C, as well as strategic partners such as Sudan and Yemen, countries that have previously purchased MiG-29s.
The integration of a new generation of AESA radars, air-to-air missiles, cruise missiles, and helmet-mounted sighting systems—many of which are derived from technologies of the newer Su-57M1—could further enhance the MiG-35’s attractiveness, both for domestic use and for export.
From inertia to triumphant revival?
Although the MiG-35 program has been largely dormant for years, wartime conditions and shifting geopolitical balances may bring it back to the fore. Russia’s advanced medium fighter production line, which has been dormant since Algeria’s MiG-29M order was completed in 2020, is expected to restart more vigorously than it has in the past five years.
While MiG-35 production will likely remain limited compared to competing programs, such as the Chinese J-10C, the program has the potential to far surpass the numbers of the previous MiG-29M and MiG-29K produced at Sokol.
