The MiG-29: Why the Soviet Dogfight Champion Failed
Video from the channel Skyships Eng about MiG-29, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 45:47. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
An extensive documentary about the MiG-29. It covers the concept that originated it, its design, equipment and armament, its entry into service and the reasons it lost ground to the Su-27 after the end of the Cold War.
Historical background
In 1971 the USSR set the requirements for a unified frontline fighter. When the idea of a single aircraft was dropped, Sukhoi kept the heavy fighter and the Mikoyan bureau the light one. This light fighter had to operate in large numbers from the dense network of Warsaw Pact airfields in Europe and fight at medium and short range. The "9-12" project adopted the integrated layout and two Klimov RD-33 engines, and a 1974 decree turned it into the MiG-29. The 901 prototype flew on 6 October 1977 and the aircraft entered service in 1983. It was shown in Finland in 1986 and at Farnborough in 1988. In the Paris 1989 and Fairford 1993 crashes, its pilots were saved by the K-36 ejection seat. By the late 1980s about 800 were in Soviet service. The MiG-29M and MiG-29K, with electronic flight control, Zhuk radar and R-77 missiles, were stalled by the fall of the USSR, and 1990s Russia gave priority to the Su-27.
Key facts
It is 17.32 m long with an 11.36 m wingspan, and each RD-33 gives about 8.3 tf with afterburner. It carries the N019 radar, an infrared sensor ahead of the cockpit, a helmet-mounted sight and a GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds. Its armament includes R-73 and R-27 missiles, spread across seven hardpoints. It reaches Mach 2.3 and withstands 9 g, but its empty weight of about 10.9 t limited its range. The 9-13, SM and SMT versions followed, along with the OVT thrust-vectoring demonstrator. The MiG-29K, relaunched at the start of the century, entered service with the Russian and Indian navies. The MiG-35 lost the Indian MMRCA competition to the Rafale. About 1,600 have been built, and in 1997 the United States bought 21 from Moldova.