Defense News Aerospace 2025
On June 30, 2025, the Indian company Reliance Defence entered into a strategic partnership with Coastal Mechanics Inc. (CMI), a US Department of Defense-authorized contractor, to jointly address India’s military Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) needs. The agreement includes the servicing, upgrading, and lifecycle extension of several key Indian military platforms, most notably the Russian-origin MiG-29 fighter aircraft currently operated by the Indian Air Force. The collaboration also marks a rare instance of a US defense contractor being directly involved in the sustainment and upgrade of Russian fighter jets operated by a third country.
Russia refused to provide spare parts and maintenance support to India due to Ukraine war. Russia defence industrial complex does not have capabilities to produce any spare parts for foreign buyers.
The Indian Air Force currently operates about 52 MiG-29UPGs across two frontline squadrons, with deployments primarily along the northern and western borders, while the Indian Navy also operates around 40 carrier-based MiG-29K variants for use aboard INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.
The partnership, valued at Rs 20,000 crore ($2.34 billion), covers more than 100 MiG-29s, over 100 Jaguar strike aircraft, Apache AH-64 helicopters used by the Indian Army, and L-70 air defense guns. The initiative is based on setting up a dedicated joint venture facility at MIHAN, the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur in Maharashtra, which will provide full MRO and upgrade services for both Indian and foreign defense platforms. The agreement coincides with India’s broader effort to shift from full replacement of legacy systems to selective upgrading under a performance-based logistics model.
Under the new joint venture, Reliance Defence and Coastal Mechanics intend to modernize these MiG-29s without direct reliance on the Russian OEM, focusing instead on reverse-engineered parts, indigenous components, and system compatibility upgrades. This approach is expected to address recurring problems linked to spare part unavailability, logistical delays from Russia, and limitations in Indian supply chains for legacy Soviet platforms. The collaboration will allow the IAF to extend the operational life of its MiG-29s by addressing current and projected obsolescence issues. According to information shared by the companies, the joint venture will provide both MRO and long-term sustainment using dual sourcing strategies, particularly for hard-to-find parts. The venture is also expected to act as a model for sustaining other legacy platforms operated in India, such as Su-30MKIs and Mi-17 helicopters, and could serve foreign militaries with similar inventories.
Reliance Defence, which has already participated in aircraft upgrade projects and artillery manufacturing programs, intends to use this partnership to expand its industrial role in defense MRO, ammunition, and aerospace systems under the framework of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ policy initiatives. In collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and US-based Genesys, Reliance Defence previously upgraded 55 Dornier 228 aircraft under a ₹350 crore contract for the Indian Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. It also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Germany’s Diehl Defence in June 2025 for the local production of Vulcano 155 mm precision-guided artillery shells, with a planned output of 200,000 shells per year, 10,000 tonnes of explosives, and 2,000 tonnes of propellants at a new greenfield facility in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. In parallel, a ₹600 crore export contract was signed with Germany’s Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH, one of the largest of its kind for an Indian private company. Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited, a joint venture with Dassault Aviation, is already assembling aerostructures for the Falcon 2000, Falcon 6X, and Falcon 8X jets at MIHAN. Final assembly of Falcon 2000 business jets is scheduled to begin in Nagpur, marking the first such operation by Dassault outside France, with initial deliveries expected by 2028.
Coastal Mechanics Inc., based in the United States, is a long-standing defense vendor certified by the US Department of Defense and the State Department’s DDTC/ITAR regime, and compliant with MIL-I-45208A, AS5553, FAA-0056, and other US military standards. The company specializes in the repair, upgrade, and reverse engineering of legacy military systems, particularly for obsolete or discontinued components. It has conducted sustainment work for a wide range of systems, including F-15, F-16, FA-18, A-10, F-4, and AV-8B aircraft, as well as helicopters like the AH-1 Cobra, UH-1 Huey, UH-60 Blackhawk, SH-60 Seahawk, and AH-64 Apache. It also maintains capabilities related to radar systems (AN/FPS-117, AN/TPS-43, AN/TPQ-36/37), missiles (AIM-9, AIM-7, TOW), and air defense systems such as PATRIOT, HAWK, and NIKE-HERCULES. Coastal Mechanics supports over 25 international defense end-users and more than 50 US Government clients through both Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales frameworks. Its core competencies include lean manufacturing, legacy MRO, repair and return services, and full turn-key upgrade support. For systems lacking OEM support, the company uses indigenous small-batch machining and technical libraries based on DMWRs and Technical Orders to ensure operational continuity. It also provides procurement consulting services aimed at minimizing lifecycle costs, managing AOG events, and resolving long-term part shortages.
The MiG-29 fighter was inducted into Indian Air Force service in the mid-1980s and remains one of its mainstay fourth-generation platforms. Originally procured to counterbalance aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16, it was designed as an air superiority fighter but has evolved into a multirole system capable of using both air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. Over time, the IAF upgraded its fleet to the MiG-29UPG standard through a program involving enhanced RD-33 engines, the Zhuk-ME radar, in-flight refueling capability, a new mission computer, glass cockpit interfaces, and compatibility with newer missiles and electronic warfare equipment. The IAF currently operates about 52 MiG-29UPGs across two frontline squadrons, with deployments primarily along the northern and western borders. The Indian Navy also operates around 40 carrier-based MiG-29K variants for use aboard INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. As India continues to retire its MiG-21 Bison fleet and gradually scale down the Jaguar fleet, the MiG-29 remains one of the primary Soviet-origin platforms still active in service.
In addition to the MiG-29 modernization initiative, India is undertaking several aircraft upgrade programs to extend the life of its combat fleet. The most significant of these is the Super Sukhoi program for the Su-30MKI fleet. Under a plan approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in November 2023, 84 aircraft will be upgraded with Indian AESA radars (Uttam), mission computers, digital glass cockpits, and new air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon systems. The project is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with support from DRDO and private industry partners, and the indigenous content of the upgrade is targeted at 78 percent. Other modernization efforts include the delivery of 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft under a contract signed in 2021, approval for an additional 97 units in 2023, and integration of new trainer variants. The IAF is also collaborating with HAL on the Tejas Mk2 Medium Weight Fighter and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is planned to enter production by the early 2030s. These projects are being supported by newer drone programs such as CATS Warrior and ALFA-S. Collectively, these efforts are intended to enable the IAF to maintain a projected strength of 35 to 36 fighter squadrons by 2035, despite falling short of the long-standing target of 42 squadrons.
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