MiG-29, MIKOYAN-GUREVICH 'FULCRUM'
A medium-sized air superiority fighter. 'Fulcrum' is an impressive aircraft, with good performance, armament and maneuvrability, and the ability to use rough airfields. Range is weak point, and later versions were modified to carry more fuel. A navalized version has also been flown. The Russian air force prefers the larger SU-27 and its derivatives, but the development of the advanced MiG-29M version has been funded recently. Over 2000 have been built.
Development
The MiG-29 is one of the first Russian aircraft that was considered by many to be an equal to those in the west. It incorperated a number of innovative technologies, some of which had never been on any western fighter. It also reflected a change in the Russian tactics in the air. For example, previously there had been a very heavy reliance on command and guidance from the ground, therefore there was little need for a cockpit with an excellent view, and since it was easier to make them smaller for aerodyanamic reasons this was the trend with the MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25. But the MiG-29 was designed with a large bubble canopy similar to those on most western fighters suggesting a change in tactics.
Louvered doors close the engine intakes while on the ground protecting the compressor from Foreign Object Damage (FOD). The air is sucked in through a number of slits on the upper side of the wing root. On the MiG-29M (a further development) these doors have been replace with a mesh grill similar to the one on the SU-27. It reduces complexity and created extra space for fuel and avionics by removing the intaces on top of the wing root.
Mig29 Fulcrum
The MiG-29 Fulcrum is of a comparable size to the F/A 18 Hornet. It first became operational in early 1985 and since then has been exported to a number of countries. About 345 of these counter air fighters are in service with the Russian tactical air forces and 110 with the naval forces. The MiG-29 has a high level of manouverability and the coherent pulse dopplar radar (which can track up to 10 targets simultanieously at 69 km) combined with a laser range finder and infra-red search and track (IRST) lijnked to the Helmet Mounted Sight (HMS) make it an excellent close in fighter.
The two engines on the MiG-29 are the Kilmov/Sarkisov RD-33 each providing 18,000 pounds of thrust. Even if one engine is dammaged and providing no thrust the MiG-29 is able to accelerate and start on the one engine. Also the engines have proven their ability to take rough handeling with manouvers such as tail slides which were performed by Anatolij Kvocur at Farnbourough in 1988.
The MiG-29M has addressed many of the fighters shortcommings. Unfortunately due to the economic position in Russia Mig-Mapo has not had any orders for this excellent aircraft. The internal fuel storage has been incresed dramatically; is controlled by quadruplex fly-by-wire; glass cockpit; new terrain following Zhuk radar; improved engines with reduced smoke trails, better efficency and more power; new IRST, added TV; longer canopy, a wider, longer and less curved dorsal spine; bulged wing tips with fore and aft Radar Warning Recievers (RWR), eight under wing hardpoints (as opposed to six on earlier versions); aluminium-lithium center section; and finally larger, sharper, repositioned wing roots which create stronger vortices and modifications to extend back the center of gravity limit for relaxed stability whcih increases the max angle of attack giving more manouverability and better efficency. As you can see the MiG-29M is a much imporved aircraft.
