OVERVIEW: The MiG-29 aka "Fulcrum A" is a single-seat, twin-engine, short-range, all-weather, 4th-generation air superiority fighter capable of BVR engagements.

DETAILS: Similar in concept to the USAF's heavyweight/lightweight F-15/F-16 fighter fleet mix, the MiG-29 was developed as a lightweight and more affordable fighter to complement the heavier Su-27. The Fulcrum's mostly aluminum airframe features a blended, mid-mounted swept-wing with leading-edge root extensions (LERX) and a canted twin tail. This design results in the fuselage and LERX of the aircraft providing 40% of the lift, resulting a high lift-to-drag ratio.

Despite not having a fly-by-wire capability, the Fulcrum is very agile, capable of performing sustained 9 g turns.
It has excellent instantaneous and sustained turn performance, and a high AoA capability. An overridable AoA limiter prevents the aircraft from exceeding max AoA and departing controlled flight. For close-range/low-speed dogfighting, the Fulcrum's nose can easily be pointed using rudder.

The Fulcrum is powered by two widely-spaced RD-33 afterburning turbofans, each producing 11,100 lbs. of thrust (military) or 18,300 lbs. at afterburner. The design cruising-speed is 920 knots, and the aircraft has a 1.1 high thrust-to-weight ratio. The RD-33 was designed for easy repairs, with only 45 minutes needed for an engine change. While reliable, the RD-33's advanced design resulted in a short time between overhauls (TBO) of only fifty hours, although improvement subsequently increased this to 350 hours by the late 1980's. The engines also produced a distinctive smoke trail, especially when transitioning between power settings.

The MiG-29 is capable of rough-field operations, with doors on the intakes providing FOD protection during taxi and take-off. With high lift- and thrust-to-weight ratios, the MiG-29 requires only 250 meters for take-off roll, and when using a drogue chute can reduce its landing roll to only 610 meters.

Combat systems include a NO19 Rubin aka RLPK-29 pulse-Doppler radar. Armament includes an integral single-barrel 30 mm cannon with 150 rounds and a 32-round over wing chaff/flare dispenser. Six pylons allow for the carrying of a wide variety of ordnance, including BVR-capable R-27R1 (AA-10 ALAMO), the R-27 and the close-in R-73 (AA-11 ARCHER) and R-60 (AA-8 APHID) AAMs. While dogfighting, a helmet-mounted sight can be used to cue IR-homing missiles onto an off-boresight target up to 45° from the Fulcrum's nose.

Although highly manoeuverable, the MiG-29 was hampered by a short combat-radius of approximately 324 nm, without external tanks. Partially because of this, it was initially rarely used as an air superiority fighter, an instead utilized as a high speed point-defense fighter, closely controlled by a GCI network.

NOTES: IOC: Field trials in 1983, formal IOC in 1987. The Fulcrum A is the initial production standard and was produced in several batches, with earlier aircraft upgraded to the later batch standard.


SOURCE: Mladenov, Alexander. Soviet Cold War Fighters. Fonthill Media, 2017, (Kindel ed., locations 4055; 4087, 4102;  Gordon, Yefim,  Mikoyan Mig-29: Famous Russian Aircraft. 2006, pg. 24-25; "Military Aviation." Military Aviation. Accessed October 9, 2022. https://sirviper.com/index.php?page=fighters/mig-29/mig-29a.