MIG-29, the legend still is
Any adversary fighter jet closing in, much before meeting su30mki some where midair have to breach the great wall of legendary Mig29. IAF operates some about 40 mig29, all high speed interceptors, in advance postings.
Here’s an old indepth report on Mig29, tho the report is a decade old but not much of change have been seen on basic airframes hence aerodynamics, of all the front runner in MMRC. Yes, avionic and doctrines do have a different story to tell.
http://www.lovrichfamily.com/abgpdf/How to Fly and Fight in the Mikoyan Mig-29 Fulcrum.pdf
Some of extracts from the report are:-
------The MiG-19 was years ahead of its time, as was the MiG-21, whose basic design was so right that large numbers remain in service to this day, and when modernized with contemporary avionics the aircraft still represents a potent threat-----------
---------The MiG-29 has proved to be probably the OKB's most impressive product. Intelligence sources suggested that the aircraft had been seen performing manoeuvres which 'no Western fighter could
emulate' ----------
------- the MiG-29 was an entirely original design, incorporating many advanced featuresnot seen in its Western counterparts, and actually more aerodynamically advanced than any Western type.
-------They saw the incredible turn performance, high Alpha and post-stall capabilities of the aircraft, and immediately assumed that it would be unbeatable in air-to-air combat.--------------
--------There is now little argument with the fact that the MiG-29 is the most aerodynamically advanced aircraft of its generation, nor with the fact that it is probably the world's best close-in dogfighter.-----------
---------India is a major operator of the first-generation MiG-29, with three frontline squadrons. Remarkably, the Indian Air Force has since purchased Su-30MKIs for the ground attack role, rather than the probably superior MIG-29M, which would have had greater commonality with the country's existing aircraft.
A whole decade after, coping with all kinds of problems be it finance or future orders, MIG’s have come a long way, even matching with western avionics and pilot friendly cockpits. And not to forget its legendary agility. So much so that Indian navy have gone for Mig29K/KUB.
With the basic know how and infrastructure for maintenance of mig29 and now a whole manufacturing industry of Russian aircrafts, in and around Nasik. As per a report in recent defence mag, India is now manufacturing and fabricating all the 40,000 Su30 parts under the watchfull eyes of Sukhoi engineers.
Going by all this and assuming Russians have incorporated plasma stealth with Mig-35. I hope soon we will see them with IAF colors.