The
MiG-29 was designed in response to a new generation of
American fighters, which included the F-15 and F-16.
Designed as an air defense fighter, this dual-purpose
aircraft also possessed a ground attack capability. The
task of producing a "frontal" or tactical fighter for
the Frontal Aviation Regiments of the Soviet Air Force
went to the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (MiG OKB).
Employing all the technical data available about the
most advanced Western aircraft, the MiG designers
started working on the MiG-29 in the early 1970s, and
the first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 6,
1977. U.S. reconnaissance satellites detected the new
fighter in November 1977, and NATO gave it the
designation "Fulcrum."
Production started in 1982, and deliveries to Frontal
Aviation units started in 1983. By comparison, the
USAF's first operational F-15As arrived seven years
earlier in 1976, and its F-16As entered operational
service four years earlier in 1979.
Although newer, the MiG-29 still lagged behind the most
modern Western fighters in several important areas. For
instance, the aircraft designers had little experience
in either fly-by-wire controls or lightweight composite
materials for airframe construction, and the first
MiG-29 versions used a conventional hydraulic flight
control system and an aluminum alloy fuselage. Over
time, MiG designers addressed these deficiencies, and
later variants of the MiG-29 incorporated some
fly-by-wire controls and composite materials.
Nevertheless, the MiG-29
presented a formidable threat to Western pilots. The
radars used on earlier Soviet fighters had been unable
to distinguish aircraft flying below them from ground
clutter, and low-flying aircraft could avoid detection.
With the Phazotron NIIR N019 Doppler radar (NATO
designation "Slot Back") capable of detecting a target
more than 60 miles away, infrared tracking sensors, and
a laser rangefinder carried on the MiG-29, a pilot could
track and shoot at aircraft flying below him. Also, the
pilot's Shchel-3UM-1 helmet-mounted aiming device turned
the MiG-29 into a very dangerous threat once opponents
came within visual range. No longer did a pilot have to
turn his aircraft toward a target and wait for his
missiles' sensors to "lock-on" before firing. Now, the
pilot simply turned his head toward a target, and the
helmet aimed the missile's sensors toward the target.
This "off boresight" procedure gave the MiG-29 pilot a
great advantage at close range.
The aircraft on display was an
early model Soviet Air Force MiG-29A (S/N 2960516761)
assigned to the 234th
Gvardeiskii Istrebitelnii
Aviatsionnii Polk (234th Guards Fighter Aviation
Regiment) stationed at Kubinka Air Base near Moscow. It
was one of the six MiG-29s that made a good will visit
to Kuoppio-Rissala, Finland, in July 1986. This event
marked the first public display of the MiG-29.
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SPECIFICATIONS: |
PERFORMANCE:
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Span:
Length:
Height:
Empty Weight:
Gross Weight:
Crew:
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Maximum
speed:
Approx. Mach 2.3
Cruising
speed:
Range:
Service
ceiling: |
Engines:
Two
Isotov RD-33 turbofans of approx. 18,300 lbs. thrust
each with afterburner |
Armament:
One 30mm GSh-301 cannon; six air-to-air missiles
(mixture of medium-range, radar-guided AA-10 "Alamo-A;"
or close-range, infrared-guided AA-11 "Archer;" and/or
close-range, infrared-guided AA-8 "Aphid" missiles);
able to carry bombs and 57mm, 80mm and 240mm rockets in
attack role.
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SOURCE:
National Museum of the United States Air Force |
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