Mikoyan MiG-29
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MiG-29 "Fulcrum"
Russian Air Force MiG-29
Type Multirole fighter
Manufacturer Mikoyan
Maiden flight 6 October 1977
Introduced August 1983
Status In service
Primary users Russian Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force
Algerian Air Force
Indian Air Force
Produced 1984-
Variants MiG-33
MiG-35

The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: МиГ-29) (NATO reporting name "Fulcrum") is a fighter aircraft designed for the air superiority role in the Soviet Union. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service in 1983 and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other nations.
Contents
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* 1 Development
* 2 Description
o 2.1 Design Features
o 2.2 Powerplant
o 2.3 Range and fuel system
o 2.4 Cockpit
o 2.5 Sensors
o 2.6 Armament
o 2.7 MiG-29UB trainer
o 2.8 MiG-29S
* 3 MiG-29 in German service
* 4 Combat service
* 5 MiG-29s in the United States
* 6 MiG-29s on display
* 7 Variants
* 8 Operators
o 8.1 Current
o 8.2 Former
* 9 Specifications
* 10 References
* 11 External links
* 12 Related content

[edit] Development
Soviet MiG-29
Soviet MiG-29

The history of the MiG-29, like that of the larger Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', started in 1969 when the Soviet Union learned of the U.S. Air Force's 'FX' program, which resulted in the F-15 Eagle. The Soviet leadership soon realized that the new American fighter would represent a serious technological advantage over all existing Soviet fighters. The MiG-21 'Fishbed' was agile by the standards of its day, but had deficiencies in range, armament, and growth potential. The MiG-23 'Flogger', developed to match the F-4 Phantom II, was fast and had more space for fuel and equipment, but lacked in maneuverability and dogfighting ability. What was needed was a better-balanced fighter with both good agility and sophisticated systems. In response, the Soviet General Staff issued a requirement for a Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel (PFI, roughly "Advanced Tactical Fighter"). Specifications were extremely ambitious, calling for long range, good short-field performance (including the ability to use austere runways), excellent agility, Mach 2+ speed, and heavy armament. The aerodynamic design for the new aircraft was largely carried out by TsAGI, the Russian aerodynamics institute, in collaboration with the Sukhoi design bureau.
Luftwaffe MiG-29 flying with a USAF F-16
Luftwaffe MiG-29 flying with a USAF F-16

However, in 1971 the Soviets determined that the PFI aircraft would be too expensive to procure in the quantities needed, and divided the requirement into the TPFI (Tyazholyi Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel, "Heavy Advanced Tactical Fighter") and the LPFI (Legkiy Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel, "Lightweight Advanced Tactical Fighter") programs, the latter paralleling the contemporary USAF decision that led to the "Lightweight Fighter" program and the F-16 Fighting Falcon and YF-17 Cobra. The heavy fighter remained with Sukhoi, resulting in the Su-27 'Flanker', while the lightweight fighter went to Mikoyan. Detailed design work on the resultant Product 9, designated MiG-29A, began in 1974, with the first flight taking place on October 6 1977. The pre-production aircraft was first spotted by United States reconnaissance satellites in November of that year; it was dubbed Ram-L because it was observed at the Zhukovsky flight test center near the town of Ramenskoye. Early Western speculations suggested that the Ram-L was very similar in appearance to the YF-17 Cobra and powered by afterburning Tumansky R-25 turbojets.
MiG-29UB at the 1988 Farnborough Air Show
MiG-29UB at the 1988 Farnborough Air Show

Despite program delays caused by the loss of two prototypes in engine-related accidents, the MiG-29B production version entered service in August 1983 at the Kubinka air base. State acceptance trials where completed in 1984, and deliveries began the same year to the Soviet Frontal Aviation. It was given the NATO reporting name "Fulcrum-A" because the pre-production MiG-29A, which should have logically received this designation, remained unknown in the West at that time. The MiG-29B was widely exported in downgraded versions known as MiG-29B 9-12A and MiG-29B 9-12B (for Warsaw Pact and non-Warsaw Pact nations, respectively), with less capable avionics