"A rather lack-lustre rehash of a Cold War design" -> MiG-35, obviously.
This may sound harsh, since in many ways it really is what the MiG-29
should have been all along, but as gelgoog says it's coming about 15 years too late to be a bread-winner for MiG. The original Fulcrum always struck me as a 1980s EE Lightning - a real pilot's aircraft with some impressive technology (for example materials), but a one trick pony that was too complex and expensive for the operational utility it offered. Most of these deficiencies are addressed by the MiG-35, but by being so late to the game Sukhoi has poached prospective customers with deeper pockets and the JF-17 those without, not to mention that in an age of 5th generation designs it will not age well from now on.
That said, a JF-17 counterpart was/is clearly not a credible alternative for MiG, its export potential has been shown to be pretty limited as well (and certainly the VKS would be even less likely to adopt a lightweight fighter than the PLAAF). For CAC that's fine, they are making good money selling J-10s to the domestic military, but MiG has no such additional revenue stream. So basically by passing on Skat, the Russian MoD has dangerously overtaxed Sukhoi's resources with the Su-57 AND Okhotnik while leaving MiG to wither on the vine without a sustainable business plan (quite apart from the delay in the service entry of a stealthy UCAV). Great work
