Defense Express reported the information.India's purchase of MiG-29K fighters was supposed to be a lifeline for the struggling Russian aircraft program, but leaked documents from the state corporation Rostec have exposed a massive deception regarding the reliability of the onboard Zhuk-ME radar systems. The radars have been failing at rates between 2.5 and 6 times higher than promised, effectively crippling India's carrier aviation capabilities.According to the contract, the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for the radar was supposed to be 150 hours. However, by 2016, that figure had plummeted to just 97 hours, and by mid-2017 it had crashed to a mere 60 hours. An even simpler metric, Mean Time Between Defects (MTBD), was contractually set at 120 hours but dropped to just 20 hours by 2016, meaning Indian naval aviation was constantly dealing with malfunctions.The leaked documents revealed how Russian manufacturers achieved the promised reliability figures: they included flight hours from MiG-29K aircraft equipped with dummy radar mockups in their calculations, artificially inflating the reliability statistics to deceive the buyer.Years of negotiations between Indian and Russian officials followed, with discussions about repairs and upgrades that were repeatedly delayed. While some modernization efforts reportedly led to temporary improvements, the fundamental question of who would pay for the necessary fixes remained unresolved. By 2019, the Indian Navy had revoked certification for the Zhuk-ME radars entirely.The radar problems were just one part of a broader reliability crisis. The MiG-29K fleet has consistently maintained an operational readiness rate between just 15% and 47%, plagued by airframe defects, engine failures, and electronic malfunctions. It's no surprise that India eventually turned to France's Rafale M as its next carrier-based fighter.Despite this debacle, Russia continues to pursue other aviation deals with India, including full localization of the Su-57E fighter. Remarkably, India appears willing to continue the defense partnership, remaining one of Russia's largest military customers and planning to purchase and locally produce S-400 air defense systems. Russian officials, however, seem to recognize that selling additional aircraft to the Indian Navy is now a lost cause.