The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a twin-engine jet fighter designed to serve the previous Soviet Union and now Russia. Its NATO operating name is Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum. The aircraft was developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau for air superiority back in the 1970s. The aircraft alongside Sukhoi Su-27 was designed to serve the Soviet Union to have the fighter advantage over the US fighter jets like McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 entered in official service for Soviet Union’s Air Force back in 1982. While the Mikoyan MiG-29 was originally designed for combat against the enemy’s aircraft, the later Mikoyan MiG-29s were furnished for multirole purposes to perform several missions while using its air-to-surface armaments and precision munitions.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 has been designed to present various variants like the multirole Mikoyan MiG-29M and the navy oriented Mikoyan MiG-29K. The most advanced member of the family is the Mikoyan MiG-35.
In the later models of this aircraft, several of the following improvements were made.
- Improved engines
- Glass cockpits with HOTAS compatible flight controls
- Modern Radar system
- IRST Sensors
- Increased fuel capacity
- Aerial refueling capability
After the Soviet Union dissolved, several of the Soviet allies continued to operate their Mikoyan MiG-29s and the largest one of them being the Russian Air Force. Although the Russian Air Force has plans to upgrade their fleet of Mikoyan MiG-29s to a more modernized Mikoyan MiG-29SMT; financial difficulties are in the way of this upgrading.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is also one of the most favorite exported fighter jet in the world; India being its largest exporter. Last reported in 2013, he Mikoyan MiG-29 is still in production by Mikoyan’s subsidiary company; The United Aircraft Corporation since 2006.
For our readers today, we have gathered a bunch of amazing facts about the Mikoyan MiG-29 which are as follows.
Air Superiority:-
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a result of the hard work of two decades performed by the Soviet Aeronautical engineers and designers. This twin-engine aircraft was developed for the air superiority against the US fighter jets and is continuing to live up to that purpose as it has superiority over the following jet fighters.
- F-14 Tomcat
- F/A-18 Hornet
- Dassault Mirage 2000
The aircraft is able to have deft maneuverability which is further enhanced by its superior trust-to weight ratio; making it the best response to Western fighter jets.
First flight and Entering the service:-
The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-29 was completed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau back in 11977. The aircraft was ready for its first flight back in October of 1977 and took the skies with a roar back on October 6th, 1977.
The aircraft its first service was sent for further design changes and the mass production started in 1978. By July of 1982, the first fleet of the Mikoyan MiG-29s was in the service of Soviet Union’s Air Force.
Combat Proven:-
The Mikoyan MiG-29, after the Soviet Union dissolved, was opened up by the Russian Federation for export to few of the main countries.
- Iraq
- Iran
- Syria
- India
The most combat action that Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum saw was during the following two conflicts.
- Iraq War; used by Iraqi Air Force
- Iran-Iraq War; used by both countries
The aircraft is known for it’s near flawless fighter jet combat experience for both air and ground threat. The testament to it combat prowess is that the Russian Air Force, till this day uses the Mikoyan MiG-29 but its upgrade versions. The design of the Mikoyan MiG-29 has also been the influence for Russia’s fifth-generation multirole fighter jet; MiG-35.
MiG29SMT:-
According to the Russian Air Force, there are still many old Mikoyan MiG-29s that are being still used by the Air Force. The estimated number of these Mikoyan MiG-29s is about 600 when last reported back in 2011.
The Russian Air Force is planning to upgrade this legacy Mikoyan MiG-29 fleet into Mikoyan MiG-29SMT which will give them new and improved engines that will have the afterburning thrust capability of 18300 lb/ft each. In addition to new engines, the weapon bearing load capacity will also increase along with better avionics to help the pilot conduct the missions smoothly.
Engines:-
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is powered by two Klimov/Sarkisov RD-33 turbofan engines that produce a combined dry thrust of 22200 pounds or 37258 pounds with afterburner.
Speed and Range:-
The maximum speed of the Mikoyan MiG-29 is Mach 2.3 making it able to fly at a speed of nearly 2450 kmph on its maximum altitude. The aircraft has a ceiling height of maximum 60000 feet or 17000 meters while its range is about 1100 miles or 1770 kilometers.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a single seater fighter jet.
Unit Cost:-
The unit cost of the Mikoyan MiG-29 is 29 million US dollars. The aircraft is reported to be one of the most favorite exported aircraft in the world with Ida being its primary exporter.
Firepower:-
The main feature that makes Mikoyan MiG-29 one of the best fighter jets in the world is its ability to fire missiles that can strike air-to-air targets well beyond the line of sight. This is the fighting capability which makes Mikoyan MiG-29 superior against the F-16.
This air superiority was made prominent during the 1999s ‘Kargil War’; operation ‘Safed Sagar’ when a new Indian Air Force’s Mikoyan MiG-29 interpreted a Pakistani Air Force’s F-16C over the border region of Kashmir.
The Mikoyan MiG-29 was able to safely escort the Mirage 2000 to its objective as it outmaneuvered and locked the Pakistani F-16C even long before the F-16 was in range.
Nuclear Role:-
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is without a doubt an air-to-air warfare asset which is also capable of carrying Nuclear weapons. While it is still not the ideal platform for long-range delivery; it is still able to deliver the nuclear payload in medium ranged attacks.
The maximum payload capacity of Mikoyan MiG-29 is about 10000 lbs which makes it ideal for being a surgical and precision attack fighter instead of bulk ordinance delivery. The aircraft is still used by its operators as both a fighter and a bomber jet depending upon the needs.
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