According to information published by the MENA defense website on October 26, 2020, Algeria has received the first batch of MiG-29M/M2 twin-engine fighter aircraft from Russia.

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Russian Air Force MiG-29M2 twin-engine fighter aircraft. (Picture source Vitaly Kuzmin)

In 2019, during the International Defense Aviation Exhibition MAKS that was held in Russia, Algeria has signed two contracts with Rosoboronexport, the Russian defense export agency, for the delivery of one squadron of Mikoyan MiG-29M/M2 twin-engine jet fighter aircraft and one squadron of Su-30 twin-engine fighter aircraft.

In June 2020, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin has held a working meeting with Chief of Staff of the Algerian People’s National Army Major General Said Chengriha in Moscow. During the talks, the sides noted positive trends in military cooperation, defined prospective areas of interaction and outlined ways to implement them.

The Mikoyan MiG-29M is a Russian multirole fighter developed in 2005. The MiG-29M/M2 aircraft is a revision of the basic MiG-29. It achieved a more robust multi-role capability with enhanced use of air-to-air and air-to-ground high-precision weapons. It also featured a considerably increased combat range, owing to an increase in its internal fuel capacity.

The MiG-29M/M2 features six external hard-points to carry a variety of modern high-precision weapon systems. The weapons systems include Air-to-Air and Air-to-Surface missiles, guided aerial bombs, rockets, aerial bombs and built-in air-gun of 30 mm caliber. According to customer requirements, new types of weapons can be mounted on the aircraft. The MiG-29M/M2 fighter weapons allow to destruct air targets as well as movable and stationary ground/surface targets.