How much does the mig 29 weight?

Weight is one of the MiG-29’s defining traits, because Mikoyan designed it as a light, agile frontline fighter to complement the heavier Su-27. The baseline MiG-29 (product 9-12) has an empty weight of about 11,000 kg (24,250 lb). With a full internal fuel load of roughly 3,400 kg and six air-to-air missiles it reaches a normal take-off weight of around 15,000 kg (33,000 lb), and the maximum take-off weight is 18,000 kg (39,700 lb) with drop tanks and bombs.

For comparison, an F-16C weighs about 8,900 kg empty and a Su-27 about 16,400 kg, so the MiG-29 sits between them: heavier than the American light fighter it was meant to counter, largely because it carries two engines.

The two Klimov RD-33 turbofans give a combined afterburning thrust of about 162 kN (36,600 lbf), which with a normal take-off weight of 15,000 kg produces a thrust-to-weight ratio above 1. That is what allows the vertical climbs and tight turns that made its reputation. The price is range: the original fuselage tanks hold only enough fuel for roughly 1,500 km without external tanks, an acceptable trade for a fighter meant to operate close to its own airfields.

Every upgrade added weight. The MiG-29S (9-13) introduced a dorsal spine with an extra fuel tank, taking maximum take-off weight toward 19,700 kg. The MiG-29SMT added larger conformal tanks and modern avionics, and the carrier-borne MiG-29K required a reinforced undercarriage, folding wings and an arrester hook. The MiG-35, the latest development of the airframe, has a maximum take-off weight of about 24,500 kg, a third more than the original, which is why it also received uprated RD-33MK engines to keep the same thrust-to-weight ratio.