Nice Pictures of Indian MiG-29K operating from INS Vikramaditya

[artik]

Nef, they are going to have 16 Mig29k on board, they can fit more, but that is what they've got with this current deployment according to most defense sites.  4 will be dual seat versions.

According to the images it looks like they can park at least 11 MiG-29K (7 behind the superstructure and 4 before) the way they do not interfere with takeoffs and landing.

So they probably can take at least 12 mig strike package without moving plane to/from hangar...

Also unlike MiG-29A the MiG-29K dual seat version is very similar to a single seat one - the singe seat one has an additional fuel tank instead of rear seat - the difference in the structure is minimal.

How precisely will a Mig29k with only 17% more thrust from the new engines, a lot more max weight than previous versions, ever be able to take off from a 120m takeoff roll to a ski jump, compared to a catapult system that can fling a SuperHornet off the deck at 160 knots or more. 
...
but the numbers Artik is giving say that the Mig29k will out range a SuperHornet from a Catobar launch/retrieve system that has a longer launch length than the Mig29k has a roll from brake release.

1st of all I don't try to claim that MiG-29K has better range than Super Bug... when you "show" the numbers everybody cheats... but numbers show that it can takeoff from ski-jump at its full takeoff weight...

How can that make any sense whatsoever?

See - it exactly the point - it isn't 120m roll from brakes...

1. The roll on the carrier's deck is  180m rol
2. brakes would not work - it has special anchoring system
3. The effective runway length is much longer - because thanks to skijump it has positive climb (also only partial lift) allowing the plane to accelerate way beyond the deck gaining required speed and lift. So if the calculations are correct it gets about total of 450m of run...

Even the Russians have said that the switched from the SU33 types to the Mig29k due to size, as they can fit more aboard, as they have a very similar range and performance envelope now.  And the Su33 could launch only with downloaded fuel and 4 AAMs at a max to have any sort of minimal range at all.

The reason that Su-33 was selected in 90th - is due to its lower speed - it could operate safer during landing + some internal politics of guys of Suchoi being closer to the decision makers (at least according to guys form MiG design bureau)

The reason that MiG-29K was selected now is because MiG-29K is much more up-to date aircraft with both air to air and air to ground capabilities and was already designed for Indian Navy... so why to spend money on aircraft design when they have one already.

[artik]

Another picture I had found:



Source: http://www.livefistdefence.com/2013/12/enjoy-these-brilliant-pictures-on.html

Note: 3 DT, 2 Kh-35 missiles and 2 A2A missiles... nice load for STOBAR takeoff...

[PR3D4TOR]

Brilliant looking thing that 29K.

[Gman]

Still my favorite fighter, like I said, I've loved the Mig29 since seeing it at the Abby int air show, where a team of Migs performed for the first time outside of the USSR back in the late 80s, and a Canadian CF18 pilot was allowed to fly the 2 seater even.  The turn rate was better than any other 2 engined fighter that I had ever seen (at ground alt anyway), and even arguably right up there with the F16/F18 on the deck, possibly better. 

IF  that Mig29k can in fact take off from a non CATOBAR carrier with that loadout, it absolutely is a huge improvement over previous USSR designs for blue water work - the SU33 could carry at best 4 light A2A missiles, usually 2 Aphids and 2 Archers, as 4 Archers they had to download some fuel, on top of the already downloaded fuel load - the Su33 had horrifyingly bad range, the Mig29k, whatever its range may now be, is certainly a huge improvement.

[PR3D4TOR]

If it can't carry a proper war load then the Russians would have fitted rocket boosters like they've done in the past, and still do with their reserve MiG-21s.




Gman I'm a bit baffled by your comment on the Su-33's range. The Su-33 was developed from the Su-27 which was designed to loiter over the North Pole waiting for USAF bombers using nothing but its massive internal fuel storage. It carries about as much fuel internally as an F-15E with the conformal fuel tanks. That's why it's so big, it's a flying gas tank. The Su-33 has a reported range almost double that of the Mig-29K, though the Mig can close this gap by sacrificing stores for external fuel. Like that 29K in Artik's picture above.