In the early 70s, the two design bureaus of Mikoyan and Sukhoi were tasked with developing two new promising fighters that would differ from each other only in their weight. The task was successfully completed - the creation of a light front-line fighter ended with unsurpassed maneuverability MiG 29, and the heavy version of the fighter turned into an excellent long-range fighter-interceptor.
The history of the creation of the MiG 29 fighter
The first prototype of the MiG 29
The first prototype (at the factory it was Series 9) was not at all like later modifications and it took off in October 1977. The plane was piloted by test pilot V. Fedotov. The second prototype made its first flight at the end of 1979, it was distinguished by a shortened and shifted rear shock absorber on the front landing gear, an auxiliary power unit and a GSh-30-1 single-barrel cannon. The front chassis shifted back changed the trajectory of foreign objects flying out from under the front pillar and they no longer entered the air intake.
The next prototype 903 suffered a plane crash, it was replaced by the 908, then several pre-production vehicles followed, a series of flights were completed on them to test the behavior of the vehicle at high angles of attack and test control systems. These tests were carried out by test pilot V. Menitsky and these flights showed the ability to fly on the verge of the impossible.
Serial production of new light front-line fighters began in 1982 and already in August 1983 the first ones were deployed at the Kubinka airfield. The modification of the vehicle under the designation was intended for the Warsaw Pact countries; a simpler version was planned to be supplied to other countries.
The 29C variant received air-to-air missiles with a radar-guided head, and the export version could track several targets and destroy two at once. The export aircraft acquired a control system.
Subsequently, this aircraft had many modifications - it was a carrier-based fighter operating from an aircraft carrier, an aircraft with variable thrust vectoring, and a training fighter. MiG-29 UB. The best and most recent version is designated MiG-29 SMT. There could have been more front-line fighters of this brand if in the 90s they had not given preference, as the designers considered, to a more promising one Su-27. But still, more than one and a half thousand different modifications were given a ticket to the sky.
Description of the MiG 29 aircraft
The aerodynamic layout of the aircraft is made according to an integrated circuit - it is a low-lying wing, an empennage of two separate fins, two engines located parallel in the rear part of the fuselage and spaced relative to each other. The airframe was manufactured using a welded joint method without overlap, which greatly simplified the design. Materials used: steel and aluminum alloy, titanium and composites.
The wing has decent mechanization - slotted flaps, deflectable slats and ailerons, a sweep angle of 42 degrees. The keels are covered with carbon fiber and their camber is 60 degrees. The rotary stabilizer has a differentiated deflection.
The pilot's cockpit canopy has a teardrop shape; the visor without bindings provides great review in flight, during landing and takeoff. The cabin itself is quite spacious and is equipped with a K-63 ejection seat.
It is equipped with two powerful RD-33 turbojet engines, on which low-pressure compressors with four stages are installed; high pressure is created by a nine-stage compressor. TRDDFs develop a thrust of 81.42 kN. Until now, the thrust-to-weight ratio has not been surpassed by any aircraft on the planet.
Engine RD-33
From the very beginning, this machine had an insufficient fuel supply and, as a result, a short flight duration. Early modifications of the aircraft had only wing and fuselage tanks; the total fuel supply was 4365 liters. The designers eventually resolved this issue and the 29M and 29SMT models already had an increased fuel supply inside: the first - in the wing bulges instead of the air intakes, the second - above the fuselage in a 900-liter tank, immediately behind the pilot's cabin, giving the aircraft a humpbacked appearance.
The small fuel supply was more than offset by excellent handling on the edge maximum values angles of attack. Such maneuverability in air combat made this front-line fighter especially dangerous; many opponents could not withstand what the pilots did in this machine at extreme angles of attack and high overloads. At the same time, it did not have a mechanical control system and it remained the most maneuverable jet aircraft in the history of aviation.
After modifying the chassis and installing air intakes to prevent foreign objects from entering the engines, the vehicle was operated from short and poorly prepared strips. This front-line fighter was simple and unpretentious in maintenance.
Flight characteristics of the MiG 29 aircraft:
- The highest speed is at an altitude of 11 thousand. m in the absence of suspensions - 2415 km/h.
- Maximum speed near the ground - 1500 km/h.
- The Mach number at 11 thousand meters is no more than 2.3 M, at sea level no higher than 1.22 M.
- At maximum take-off weight, take-off speed is 220 km/h.
- The descent speed during landing is 260 km/h.
- Landing speed – 235 km/h.
- The run distance using a braking parachute is 700 m.
- Rate of climb – 330 m/sec.
- Permissible overloads are 9G at M=0.85 and 7G at M over 0.85.
- Practical ceiling – 17 thousand m.
- The longest range when fully charged is 2000 km. When ferrying aircraft with three drop tanks – 3200 km.
Armament of the MiG 29 fighter:
- Maximum weight – 3000 kg on six pylons.
- Gun GSh-30-1.
- Air-to-air missiles R-27, R-73, R-60.
- Air-to-surface weapons: FAB-250 and FAB-500 bombs.
- Cluster bomb KMGU-2.
- NURS 57 mm, 130 mm and 240 mm.
- Atomic bomb RN-40.
Interesting facts from the practice of flying a MiG 29 fighter
Aerobatics MiG 29
Interestingly, it could take off on one engine and start the second one already in flight - this saved time when taking off on alert.
When performing the “bell” aerobatics maneuver, when the car, having accelerated, goes vertically upward, it seems to freeze there and then falls down, and at the same time it disappeared from the radar screens, imagine what was happening at the tracking points.
In air combat, the pilot had an advantage - a flight helmet with a monocular sight, which made it possible to catch the target even when the nose of the plane was pointed in the other direction; in combination with the use of the R-73 missile, this was deadly for the enemy.
The rough skin that covered the aircraft's body created an intermediate layer that improved flight performance.
Another interesting, but bitter fact. In May 1989, during his regular duty, Captain Zuev, having lulled his colleagues with a cake containing sleeping pills, took them to Turkey. To avoid conflict, the Turkish authorities immediately returned the plane to Russia, and Captain Zuev, pretending to be a military dissident, received asylum in the United States.
But be that as it may, later modifications and its wonderful continuation still guard the air borders of our Motherland.
Video: vertical takeoff of a MiG 29 aircraft
Video: Riding a fighter into the stratosphere: unique panoramic footage from the MiG-29
MiG-29- a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather front-line fighter, made according to an integrated layout scheme with a swept wing with developed root swells with a blunt edge, and a two-fin vertical tail. The supporting fuselage creates about 40% of the lift. RD-33 engines are installed in spaced nacelles located in the rear fuselage.
Design:
The aircraft is made mainly of aluminum, and to a lesser extent - of titanium, steel, carbon-based composite materials and honeycomb cores.
A radar is installed in the forward part of the semi-monocoque fuselage and there is a pressurized pilot's cabin in which the K-36DM ejection seat is installed. The lantern consists of two segments - a fixed visor and a movable segment that opens upwards and backwards. Behind the cabin there is an avionics compartment. The central part of the fuselage is occupied by the main fuel tanks. Tank No. 3 is integrated into a power structure made of titanium, to which the wing planes, engine frames and main landing gear are attached. The engines are attached to frame No. 7 of the middle part of the fuselage.
The tail unit, engine afterburners, aerodynamic brakes and a braking parachute container are attached to the rear section of the fuselage.
The two wing planes are attached to the fuselage at five points. The power set of the plane includes three main spars, two auxiliary front spars, one auxiliary rear spar, stringers and ribs. Pylons are attached to the main spars, rub under the plane. The wing plane mechanization consists of a three-section slat, landing flaps and ailerons.
The tail unit includes two fins with rudders (early series aircraft had ventral false wings installed) and a differentially controlled all-moving stabilizer.
Engines:
The MiG-29 aircraft is equipped with two RD-33 bypass turbojet engines with afterburners and adjustable nozzles. A design feature of the MiG-29 is the engine air intakes. During taxiing, takeoff and landing modes, air is supplied to the engines through the so-called “upper inlets”, slotted air intakes located on the upper surfaces of the bulges; The main air intakes are closed with flaps. In theory, this design solution reduces the likelihood of damage to engines by foreign objects. At a speed of about 200 km/h, the slot air intakes close and the main ones open. On landing, the process occurs in reverse order. The main air intakes are scoop type, adjustable, optimized for flight at high transonic and transonic speeds.
Chassis:
tricycle, with nose support, completely retractable into the fuselage. The bow prop is two-wheeled, the main ones are single-wheeled.
Control system:
Traditional, mechanical with classic controls (RUS, throttles, pedals). All control surfaces are deflected by hydraulic actuators. The SAU-451-03 autopilot is included in the control system loop. The autopilot dampens aircraft vibrations relative to all three axes and maintains a given altitude and flight path. The cockpit instrumentation is made using traditional dial instruments.
avionics:
The on-board equipment includes a short-range navigation radio system, an air signals subsystem, a radio altimeter, a radio compass, transceiver radio stations, a “friend or foe” system, an electromagnetic radiation warning receiver, etc.
The SUV-29 weapons control system includes the RLPK-29E radar system as part of the N-091EA Rubin Doppler radar, the OEPrNK-29E (S-31) optoelectronic sighting and navigation system as part of the OEPS-23S (KOLS) system with an IR sensor and laser rangefinder, helmet-mounted sight NTS-29, indicator on the background of the windshield, on-board digital computer S-100.02-02 and a number of other devices.
The RLPK-29E system allows you to simultaneously track up to ten air targets and ensure guidance of the R-27R missile launcher with a semi-active homing head on one of them. The OEPrNK-29E optolocation system operates in the infrared range of the spectrum and generates data necessary for the use of guided missiles with thermal homing heads and firing from a cannon. IR system, the laser range finder and radar can operate both in a single complex and independently of each other.
On later modifications of the MiG-29, the composition of the avionics was significantly changed.
Weapons:
The built-in armament consists of one 30-mm GSh-301 cannon with 150 rounds of ammunition installed in the root cannon of the left wing console. The range of air-to-air suspended guided weapons includes medium-range air-to-air missiles R-27RD, short-range air-to-air missiles R-73, R-60, R-60M. The missiles are suspended on six underwing pylons. Suspension of missiles of the R-27 family is possible only on pylons No. 3 and No. 2. The R-60 and R-73 missiles are suspended symmetrically. MiG-29 mass modifications are capable of using only unguided air-to-surface weapons with a total mass of up to 3200 kg.
The MiG-29 fighter is and remains one of the most common modern combat aircraft in the world. The MiG-29 has a long history. Over the years of production, 1,600 MiG-29s were produced. Today, the Russian Air Force operates approximately 270 fighters, and the Russian Navy has an additional 40 fighters. The MiG-29 fighter has been in service with both our former allies and NATO countries. The MiG-29 fighter sold quite well abroad.
The MiG-29 fighter is undoubtedly one of the most successful fighters of the USSR. The uniqueness of the aircraft lies in the fact that it demonstrated unique technical characteristics. It could fly at high angles of attack. To sharply go up or hit a missile, the pilot could pull the control levers beyond the limiters, which was inaccessible to Western analogues of the fighter. The history of the birth and adoption of the aircraft was long.
History of the MiG-29
First developments and drawings for creating a lung frontline fighter newest generation began in the late 1960s. The USSR learned about the US Air Force F-X program in 1969. The leadership of the USSR realized that the newest American aircraft was significantly superior to existing Soviet fighters. The MiG-21, then in service, was a modern fighter, but it was inferior in combat in terms of armament, flight range and improvement capabilities. The MiG-23 was fast enough, but not agile and maneuverable enough in close air combat. A high-tech and balanced fighter with excellent agility in battle was required.
In 1969, a competition was announced for the development and creation of a similar PFI aircraft. The future aircraft received the following tactical and technical requirements:
- large range of action;
- fast take-off, possibility of using short runways;
- excellent agility;
- reliable and unpretentious engine;
- heavy weapons;
- speed above 2M.
The aerodynamic design of the new promising front-line fighter was carried out by TsAGI together with the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Yakovlev Design Bureau and Sukhoi Design Bureau also took part in the competition, including Gurevich and Mikoyan showing their drawings. Design Bureau "MiG" was declared the winner.
However, in 1971 it became clear that the PFI aircraft was too expensive for the needs of the Air Force. Therefore, the project was divided into TPFI and LPFI. The Sukhoi Design Bureau began to develop drawings for a heavy aircraft, and Mikoyan was responsible for the development of a light aircraft. Work on the LPFI began in 1974. The result of the work was Product 9, which received the designation MiG-29A. In 1977 he made his first flight.
Serial production, due to delays caused by the loss of two prototypes, was launched only in 1982 at plant No. 30 “Znamya Truda” in Moscow. In August 1983, serial MiG-29Bs began to be delivered to the Kubinka airbase for service. The aircraft successfully passed state acceptance in 1984, then its deliveries to front-line aviation began. By 1985, two air regiments with MiG-29 aircraft were fully equipped.
The MiG-29 was presented at the Farnborough Air Show in 1988, where it amazed Western observers. The RD-33 engine made it possible to demonstrate fast takeoff, outstanding mobility and high performance characteristics, but had increased smoke. The MiG-29 was actively exported and put into service in many countries. Subsequently, many different modifications of the fighter were developed and produced, including deck-based ones. MAPO named after. P.V. Dementyev produced approximately 1,200 MiG-29 fighters. In addition, almost 200 MiG-29UB were produced by the plant in Nizhny Novgorod. Today, the modernization of the MiG 29 and the production of the MiG-29KUB and MiG-29K are carried out at RSK MiG in Lukhovitsy near Moscow.
Fighter specifications
- Wing span – 11.36 m.
- The length of the aircraft together with the PVD boom is 17.32 m.
- The height of the aircraft is 4.73 m.
- The wing area is 38.06 m2.
- The empty weight of the aircraft is 10900 kg.
- The normal take-off weight of the aircraft is 15,300 kg.
- The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 18,100 kg.
- Internal fuel - 4300 l.
- PTB fuel - 1500 l.
- Engine – 2xTRDDF RD-33.
- Maximum thrust - 2x5040 kgf.
- Forced thrust - 2x8300 kgf.
- The maximum speed at altitude is 2450 km/h.
- The maximum ground speed is 1500 km/h.
- The practical range at high altitude is 1430 km.
- The practical range at low altitude is 710 km.
- The practical range with PTB is 2100 km.
- The maximum rate of climb is 19800 m/min.
- The service ceiling is 18,000 m.
- Maximum operational overload – 9 g.
- Crew – 1 person.
Weapons:
- 30-mm gun GSh-301.
- combat load on six underwing units is 2000 kg.
- two R-27R missiles, as well as 6 R-60M or R-73 missiles.
- bombs 500 or 250 kg, KMSU.
- NAR 80 S-8, installed in blocks S-24B and B-8M1.
Maneuver Champion
The MiG-29 is distinguished by unique flight performance characteristics, which predetermines:
- beautifully designed airframe;
- powerful RD-33 engine;
- wing large area and excellent aerodynamics.
As a result, the fighter shows the following unique technical characteristics:
- fast takeoff;
- high speed and maneuverability, both in horizontal and vertical planes;
- passing turns with small radii;
- performing unique aerobatic maneuvers. The MiG-29 in particular performs a “tail stall”;
- high rate of climb equal to 330 m/s.
As a result, in air combat the MiG-29 showed excellent technical characteristics and was beyond competition. Another advantage of this machine is its relative ease of maintenance, as well as the ability to take off from short, poorly prepared runways.
Aircraft design features
- The MiG-29 is designed with spaced-apart engines using an integrated aerodynamic design, a twin-fin tail and a low-lying wing. The airframe is mainly made of steel and aluminum alloys; composite materials and titanium are also used.
- The wing sweep angle is 42 degrees. along the leading edge, the wing has deflectable tips, ailerons and slotted flaps. The keels have an external camber of 6 degrees and a carbon fiber skin. The stabilizer is differentially deflectable and all-rotating. The chassis is tricycle with a two-wheel front and single-wheel main struts.
- The aircraft uses the RD-33 turbofan engine. There is a gas turbine power unit GTDE-117 with a power of 66.2 kW. During takeoff and landing, the adjustable air intakes are covered with protective panels, resulting in air intake through five-section upper inlets. The fuel system includes two wing and five fuselage tanks with a total capacity of 4300 liters. It is possible to suspend two wing-mounted PTBs and a fuselage PTB (1150 l + 1500 l).
- The fighter is equipped with SAU-451, a system automatic control, as well as SOS-3M, a system of limit signals. The armament is controlled by the SUV-29 system, which includes the BTsVM Ts100 radar sighting system and RLPK-29 (N0-19 “Sapphire-29”).
- The pilot's cabin is equipped with the OEPrNK-29 complex, which includes the OEPS-29, the BTsVM Ts-100 control system, the SUO-29, and the SN-29 navigation system. The display system with a photocontrol device is located on the windshield. The system also includes equipment KRU E502-20 "Biryuza", a decoy ejection system PPI-26, "Gardenia-1FU", an electronic jamming station, SPO-15LM "Beryoza".
- The cockpit is equipped with a K-36DM ejection seat. An ejection seat makes it possible to leave the vehicle in a critical situation, even at zero altitude. Called "Rita" by pilots, the voice indication system warns of enemy threats and dangerous flight conditions by issuing voice messages. in a female voice such as: “there’s an enemy behind” or “the landing approach is too low.”
MiG-29 modifications
The following modifications were designed and created on the basis of the MiG-29:
- MiG-29UB, two-seat combat trainer aircraft;
- MiG-29 with active jamming equipment and increased fuel reserve;
- MiG-29S with new RVV-AE missiles and a modernized control system;
- MiG-29SE— modification of the MiG-29S for export;
- MiG-29M– distinguished by a wide range of means of destroying ground and air targets, a weapons control system, an increased flight range and a number of design differences;
- MiG-29K, a carrier-based fighter that has folding wings for a more compact placement of the fighter on the ship, a reinforced landing gear and a landing hook;
- MiG-29KUB— combat training carrier-based fighter and others;
- MiG-29AS— modernization of the aircraft for the Slovak Air Force, which includes a modified avionics, and also without a refueling system;
- MiG-29MU1— Ukrainian modernization of the fighter. A system is installed in the avionics satellite navigation;
- MiG-29BM, Belarusian modernization. Additionally, a satellite navigation station and refueling facilities were installed, and the radar was modified for the use of air-to-ground weapons;
- MiG-29 Sniper, modernization for the Romanian army. Modernization according to NATO/ICAO standards was carried out by DASA (Germany), Aerostar Bacău (Romania), Elbit Systems (Israel).
Approximately 800 MiG-29 fighters of various modifications were exported to 30 countries. In total, more than 1,600 fighters were built.
Video: MiG-29
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them
The capabilities of the USSR defense industry were repeatedly underestimated by opponents, both potential and very real. A number of samples of Soviet weapons in the history of the country have become a standard for designers of the most industrially developed countries. Some of them even became unique symbols of the armed forces of the USSR and the new Russia. The fame of Shpagin and Kalashnikov assault rifles, T-34 and T-54 tanks, Katyushas and other types of Russian lethal products has gone far beyond the borders of a sixth of the landmass. MiGs also belong to the Russian weapons classics.
History of the MiG Design Bureau
The design bureau began working before the Great Patriotic War. By 1940, engineers A. I. Mikoyan (brother of Stalin’s People’s Commissar) and M. I. Gurevich managed to create a magnificent fighter aircraft, one of the best in the world in terms of its characteristics. It had a number of shortcomings, but at the time of the first test takeoff, this light, high-speed machine with streamlined lines could compete with any aircraft in Germany, Britain or the United States.
The design bureau has always strived not only to follow global trends in aircraft manufacturing, but also, whenever possible, to set them. The first production jet fighter in the USSR, the MiG-9, was a response to the successful introduction of aircraft of this class into the Western Air Forces.
Jet age
An unpleasant surprise for American pilots was the MiG-15, which in terms of speed and maneuverability characteristics was superior to the vaunted products of Northrop and other US manufacturers, who considered their equipment unsurpassed. In the skies of warring Vietnam, the MiG-17 and MiG-21 interceptors performed excellently. There were other aircraft models, MiG-19 and MiG-23. During Israel's war with Egypt, the super-powerful MiG-25 repeatedly violated the front line, conducting raids over Tel Aviv. And although it did not carry any weapons, the very fact of the unpunished flight of a Soviet plane over a country armed with the latest American air defense systems cooled many hotheads. A number of regional conflicts in which Soviet MiG military aircraft showed their best the best side, became a kind of advertisement for this brand, a guarantee of the quality and highest efficiency of Soviet military equipment. The crowning achievement of the designers' efforts was the MiG-29. Even today, 37 years after the completion of the main design work, the technical characteristics of this fighter fully meet the modern requirements for combat vehicles of this class.
Important government assignment
In the late sixties and early seventies, the main “workhorse” of the US Air Force and several countries - potential enemies of the USSR - was the famous F-4, “Phantom” of various modifications from McDonnell-Douglas. The design of this aircraft was very successful; it could solve tasks that were universal in nature - from conducting maneuverable air combat to launching bomb and missile strikes on ground targets. But the experience of Vietnam and the Middle East showed that it was difficult for him to fight against the Soviet MiG-21 and even the earlier MiG-17. The loss ratio was not in favor of the Americans. In the United States, work began on creating a replacement for the Phantom, which resulted in the F-14 Tomcat and F-15 Eagle fighters. The Soviet Air Force urgently needed modernization, taking into account promising projects of overseas aircraft manufacturers with their “cats” and “eagles”. The Soviet government set a task for the MiG design bureau. By the fall of 1977, the newest MiG-29 interceptor was ready. The prototype took off on October 6. Five years later, the aircraft was adopted by the USSR Air Force.
A little about appearance
In those years, even the appearance of a new type of weapon was a state secret. Indeed, many revolutionary technical solutions, including conceptual ones, became a distinctive feature of the MiG-29 interceptor. A photo carelessly published in the press, or a recording of a demonstration flight shown on television, could lead specialists from the hostile camp to think about the main line of aircraft production of the future. According to the idea of Chief Designer M. Waldenberg, supported by R. Belyakov, who replaced the General, the aircraft had a so-called integrated circuit layout. This means that the design bureau has moved away from the division of the structure into planes and fuselage, which is customary in world aviation. The entire airframe consisted of smooth transitions, swells, with “classic” side walls only in the bow.
The secrecy measures were by no means an unnecessary precaution. The specialists who designed MiG aircraft were also able to spy on other people’s new products. A photo of the adjustable air intake of the mentioned Phantom, taken at one of the air shows, at one time gave invaluable information to our engineers. A similar unit was used on the MiG-23.
Power plant and bell figure
The aircraft has two engines (RD-ZZ or RD-ZZK for modification “M”), they are located below the wing. Their total thrust can reach from 16,600 to 17,600 kN (kgf). If we take into account that the take-off weight of the machine slightly exceeds 15 tons, then it is easy to conclude that the value of the unit’s thrust-to-weight ratio exceeds one. This in turn means that if the MiG-29 aircraft is installed vertically and the throttle sectors are brought to a position close to the limit, then it will hover in place or rise higher without the participation of the wing. This technical feature allows not only to show unique aerobatics at demonstrations, but also has important practical significance. The locators operate on the Doppler principle and can only track moving objects. At the moment of performing the “bell” and “cobra” (that’s what aerobatics are called, during which a “hover” occurs), the speed of the MiG-29 aircraft is zero, and all control and guidance systems of enemy air defense systems cease to see it on their screens .
"Gills" MiG-29
There are other solutions that demonstrate a fresh approach to solving pressing problems. A powerful power plant requires a lot of air, and it is sucked into the intake intake in huge quantities. If the runway is snowy, has sand on it (which is not uncommon in some regions) or other contaminants, all this gets inside the turbine. There are several ways to deal with this scourge. For example, you can install air filters like in a car. But they also tend to get clogged. Or another solution: place the air intakes higher. But this worsens the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft's airframe. In the case of the MiG-29, the designers made an unusual and unique decision. Air intake until the landing gear is retracted is carried out through additional inlet openings on the upper fairing connecting the wing to the fuselage. There are two rows of them, they are located symmetrically on the right and left sides. They were called "gills". During takeoff and landing, the main air intakes are completely closed, and only after reaching a height sufficient for safe operation are they opened.
Avionics
The MiG-29 aircraft is famous not only for its powerful engines and excellent aerodynamics. Technical characteristics, no matter how excellent they are, do not guarantee victory in modern air combat if the pilot is not provided with ergonomic conditions and information support that enable instant decision-making. Still, the fourth generation obliges us to do something, especially since our potential opponents have always treated the latest achievements in electronics with great attention. The fact that the information and computing complex is based on an on-board computer (this is Ts100.02-06) is not surprising. For the first time in the country (and perhaps in the world), many additional devices, making the pilot's work easier. In particular, “Natasha” (as the pilots nicknamed the voice indication system; in fact, it is “Almaz-UP”), in a pleasant female voice, will inform you that the landing approach is being carried out at insufficient altitude or speed, will notify you of an enemy coming into the tail, or other danger, error or emergency.
Controlling the weapon is very convenient. The information is projected onto the front glazing of the cockpit canopy, and a target designation system is installed on the headset. I looked at the plane, decided to attack, pressed the combat cocking button - and we can assume that the enemy is no longer there. Our pilots have such a deadly look. And if you get confused and lose spatial orientation, then it’s okay, press another button, and the plane will level itself both in trim and in roll.
Electronic control system
In a modern military aircraft, separating avionics and weapons control systems is very difficult. Without a radar sensitive to target detection against the background of the earth's surface, it is almost impossible to win today, but this device also performs a navigation function. The MiG-29 aircraft is equipped with a NO-93 type radar, capable of tracking a dozen targets simultaneously. She is integral part sighting and navigation complex OEPRNA-29, which can perform operational mapping, calculates algorithms for attacks on enemy sea and ground targets. It also includes an OEPS-29 optical-electronic sighting system; the latest achievements of quantum physics were used in its development. The target is detected and identified at a distance from 35 km (when catching up) to 75 km (at free space). In general, the control system is complex, but despite this, it is convenient to use.
What to shoot with?
Experience has shown that it is difficult to conduct an air battle, especially a maneuverable one, with missiles alone. Having deprived the Phantom of artillery, the Americans were forced to invent special hanging containers with a cannon and ammunition. The MiG-29 fighter is armed with a rapid-fire (1,500 rounds per minute) water-cooled GSh-301 cannon, which has a supply of one hundred shells (30 mm caliber).
For missiles, there are six external pylons mounted under the wings. Depending on the tasks being solved, they can be equipped with missile launchers (R-73 or R-60M). To strike ground targets, missile launchers of the X-25M type are used. The guidance of these means is carried out either by a television signal or by a laser beam. Aiming of unguided weapons (unmanned aerial vehicles in cassettes, bombs) is carried out using radar. Naval targets are hit by the Kh-29 guided missile or supersonic anti-ship missiles of the Kh-31A type, which the MiG-29 can carry. Armament with advanced missile models is incorporated into the design of the suspension units.
The total number of bombs and missiles is limited to a maximum combat load of 3 tons (base model) and 4.5 tons (MiG-29M).
TTX Mig-29
The aircraft is somewhat smaller in size and weight than its contemporary American counterparts, which include the F-14 and F-15. The wingspan of the Soviet interceptor is slightly more than 11 meters (the same for the Tomcat at maximum sweep, and for the Igla - 13 m). The length is 17 meters including the in-flight refueling rod (versus 19 for each of the “Americans”). The MiG-29, which weighs about 15 tons, is lighter than both aircraft - likely opponents (about eighteen tons each). The thrust of the two turbines exceeds that of American cars and reaches 17,600 kN (14,500 for the Tomcat and just over 13 thousand for the Eagle).
The relatively small wing area (38 sq. m.) can be alarming due to the high specific load, but it is compensated by the high strength of the airframe due to the features of the integral layout. The speed of the MiG-29 reaches 2.3 M (2,450 km/h); for the deck version of the MiG-29K it is slightly lower, 2,300 km/h. For comparison, the F-14 is capable of reaching 1.88 M (1,995 km/h), and the F-15 - 2,650 km/h. Another important indicator is the length of the run during takeoff and landing. For a MiG to take off, it only needs a runway 700 meters long, and in afterburner mode - only 260 meters. It lands on a platform 600 meters long. This allows it to be used as a carrier-based aircraft (with a cable braking system) or operated in poorly prepared airfields (or even highway sections, as happened during the Yugoslav War). Both American cars have approximately the same running characteristics. The possibility of using the fighter as a base aircraft on aircraft-carrying ships is also provided structurally; the wing consoles are foldable. The landing speed of the MiG-29 is 235 km/h, which also indicates its “sea soul”. American deck ships have the same indicator.
The MiG's service ceiling reaches 17 thousand meters and occupies an intermediate position between the F-14 and F-15.
The average combat qualities of the Soviet MiG-29, technical characteristics and its maneuverability allow us to assert that this aircraft is superior to all foreign analogues developed at the same time as it. The ability to disappear from radar screens in the midst of air combat makes this vehicle unique. Innovations applied in the control system have brought the domestic aviation industry to a qualitatively higher level. new level. It is also important that the MiG-29 fighter has a wide modification potential. More than two dozen of its varieties with different target orientations, different flight ranges, with on-board electronic equipment differing in functionality, from a front-line fighter to a training “flying desk”, have been produced. Two of them (MiG-33 and MiG-35) are separated into independent models of the design bureau line named after. Mikoyan and Gurevich.
With different emblems on the wings
After the collapse of the USSR, the military aircraft fleet of a single state was divided between the former Soviet republics. Experiencing financial difficulties, many of them began to sell equipment they did not need. For example, Moldova lost two dozen used MiG-29s to the United States. The cost of each aircraft was $2 million, which is many times lower than the market price. The Americans needed this interceptor to practice tactics in combating the air forces of the countries in which it is in service. MiGs were sold to conflict zones in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world.
The air forces of the participating countries were also armed with MiG-29s. Almost all of them came to the disposal of Russia’s “partner” in the person of NATO. The pilots of the German Luftwaffe, accustomed mainly to American technology, were pleasantly surprised by the ease and ergonomics of control - the characteristic qualities of the MiG-29. Photos of the Soviet fighter with (identification marks of the German Air Force) at first caused bewilderment among the uninitiated, then everyone got used to it.
The aircraft is in service with more than twenty-five countries, and they have no plans to change it for anything yet.
When choosing a defense supplier, foreign governments are guided primarily by military merit and political considerations. But the financial aspect of the transaction is also important. The MiG-29, which costs approximately 70-75 million dollars per unit, can solve most specific military tasks no worse than its overseas competitor F-15, for which they “ask” up to hundreds of millions. In our time of crisis, such a difference clearly plays into the hands of the Russian Oboronexport.
MiG combat experience
As long as the rivalry between the Fulcrum (as NATO called the MiG-29) and the American F-15 Eagles was theoretical, it was possible to argue about which aircraft was better. The first serious real collision between two rival machines took place in the skies over the Persian Gulf (1991, Operation Desert Storm). Against the background of general success, due to careful preparation, advantage in information and analytical support and quantitative superiority, the fact was somehow poorly illuminated that during the entire Gulf War, Allied aviation was never able to win at least one confirmed victory over the Iraqi MiG- 29. The technical characteristics of this interceptor created conditions for Hussein’s pilots to achieve aerial victories; the case of the destruction of a British Tornado in northwestern Iraq was documented (according to unconfirmed reports, it was not the only one).
13 Yugoslav MiG-29s (in total there were 15 of them in service with the SFRY, but two turned out to be unsuitable for sorties at the beginning of the aggression) confronted many times larger NATO forces. In some mysterious way, American pilots (according to them) shot down 24 of them. In reality, everything turned out to be not as bravura as the NATO pilots reported. Four units were bombed at the airfield, and one interceptor was lost in an accident. The remaining six were indeed shot down by NATO; the leadership of the alliance, however, did its best to underestimate its own losses. It is currently difficult to estimate their number, as well as the share of the MiGs’ merits.
There were other cases of combat use of MiG-29 aircraft, fortunately, infrequent. In any case, the success of the design of a combat vehicle can only be judged by cases of “pure” confrontation with at least approximately equal qualifications of the pilots. Such episodes in modern history there were few, and they all say that the MiG-29 still has a long life ahead of it.
A fourth-generation multi-role Russian fighter with a number of unsurpassed technical specifications and is now serving in the Aerospace Forces. The Luftwaffe pilot called the MiG-29 a dream for any pilot.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Russian Aircraft Corporation MIG
- Country of origin: Russia
- Model: MiG-29
- Crew: 1 person
- Passenger capacity: 1 person
- Powerplant: 2 Sarkisov RD-33 turbofan engines with thrust at
- afterburner 81 kN
- Aircraft length: 17.3 m
- Wingspan: 11.3 m
- Aircraft height: 4.7 m
- Wing area: 35.2 m2
- Maximum take-off weight: 18480 kg
- Empty weight: 10900 kg
- Maximum speed: 2465 km/h
- Cruising speed: 850 km/h
- Rate of climb: 19800 m/min
- Ceiling height: 18500 m
- Maximum flight range: 2495 km (with fuel reserves in internal tanks and on external sling)
Story
Attempts to design a new generation of light front-line fighter were made back in the late 60s of the last century. The existing MiG-21 and MiG-23 were inferior in many respects to their American and European counterparts. The air force needed a high-tech, well-balanced fighter with good maneuverability, so in 1969 a competition was announced in the USSR to develop such an aircraft. The design bureaus of Sukhoi, Yakovlev, as well as Mikoyan and Gurevich took part in it. The MiG Design Bureau was declared the winner. The first flight of the new aircraft was made in October 1977, and in August 1983 the first production MiG-29s began to arrive at the Kubinka airbase.
The uniqueness of the MiG-29 aircraft
The MiG-29 was and remains one of the most common combat aircraft in the world. Over the years of its serial production, 1,600 pieces were manufactured. It was in service not only with our former allies, but also in NATO countries. And that says a lot. Supersonic and extremely maneuverable, the MiG-29 has a unique integrated circuit a structural layout that does not divide (as was previously customary) the aircraft into a fuselage and wings. The MiG airframe consists of smooth transitions with classic side walls only in the nose.
In addition, the MiG-29 is distinguished by:
- high-mounted wing with a sweep angle of 45 degrees;
- two super-powerful turbofan engines with afterburners;
- two-fin vertical tail;
- steerable chassis;
- K-36 ejection seats;
- general high aerodynamic characteristics;
- long flight range;
- six underwing hardpoints for placing bombs, guided and unguided missiles;
- reliable mechanical control circuit.
Possible uses for peaceful purposes
In the combat training version of the MiG-29, the instructor's cabin was placed behind the trainee's cabin and equipped with a full set of controls, display systems and the same K-36DM ejection seat. The large canopy shared by both cockpits offers stunning visibility, making it extremely effective in dogfights and for intrepid tourists. A little preparation and pre-flight briefing at our flying club make it possible to:
- make a supersonic flight into the stratosphere with an altitude climb of up to 18-19 km;
- experience overloads from 2 to 9 G when performing aerobatic maneuvers at supersonic speed;
- perform a roll, turn, spin, vertical, etc. in flight at relatively low altitudes and speeds on a MiG-29 military fighter.
