The first MiG-29UPG modernised by Indian specialists completed its first scheduled test flights in February, said Sergei Korotkov, Director General of MiG Corporation.

In 2009, the IAF and the MiG Aircraft Corporation signed an agreement on the modernisation of 62 Indian MiG-29s, turning them into the MiG-29UPGs. The aircraft are now equipped with modern avionics complexes, similar and compatible to those used in the MiG-29K fighter jets flown by the Indian Navy. The contract is estimated to be worth $964 million.

According to the portal vpk-news, this modernisation significantly expands the range of tasks that the MiG-29 can perform. Currently, the plane is primarily designed to intercept aerial targets and achieve air superiority. The upgraded aircraft, along with expanded capabilities to destroy air targets, now has the ability to attack ground (surface) targets, both stationary and mobile, with precision weapons at any time of day and in any weather conditions.

The first six MiG-29s were modernised in Russia. The rest will be upgraded in India, where currently four aircraft are undergoing the reconstruction process.