MILITARY MiG-29 FULCRUM

Piotr Butowski analyses the latestdevelopments of the MiG-29 Fulcrum

eries productionof the MikoyanMiG-29 Fulcrum wasterminated in 1993

\::::~' after constructionof 1,345 aircraft (excludingexperimental ones). This figurewas made up of 620 Fulcrum As(izdeliye 9-12), 528 Fulcrum Cs(izdeliye 9-13) single-seaters aswell as 197 Fulcrum B (MiG­29UB, izdeliye 9-51) two-seaters.Several dozen uncompletedairframes remained in the factory

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at Lukhovitsy near Moscow.From this stock, about 30 aircraftwere finished and sold in the1990s. Since 2003 over 50aircraft have been modernisedinto the MiG-29SMT versionand sold to Yemen, Eritrea andAlgeria (this last batch cameeventually back to Russia), Atthe same time the Sokol factoryin Nizhnyi Novgorod madeabout ten modernized two-seat MiG-29UBT (izdeliye 9-53)trainers for Yemen and Algeria.

The opinion that the supply ofunfinished aircraft in Lukhovitsyhas been already exhaustedproved to be untrue as nearthe end of 2009 Russia signedthe contract for delivery of 20MiG-29SMT fighters to Myanmarfor about $600 million (in 2001Myanmar had already purchased12 MiG-29s). It is likely thoughthat the last of the 'old' airframeshas now been used up. All thecurrent Fulcrums in productionand those in the future are new-

build. India has purchased ashipborne variant the MiG-29K(izdeliye 9-41). The MiG-29KJMs production takes place at theRussian Aircraft Corporation {RAe}MiG Lukhovitsy plant, which hasthe biggest aircraft assembly hallin Europe. The Sokol plant, whichproduces welded steel elementsfor the fuselage and wings andHydromash, the manufacturer ofthe landing gear, both located inNizhny Novgorod, cooperate inthe aircraft production.

New Lease of Life

On January 20, 2004, alongwith the contract for the AdmiralGorshkov aircraft carrier, theIndian Navy ordered 12 singleseat MiG·29K fighters and fourMiG-29KUB combat trainersfor $740 million. This orderhas revived the Fulcrum. UsingIndian money a new airframe wasdeveloped along with upgradedengines and systems. The firstpre-production MiG-29KUB (side

number 947 originated fromthe izdeliye 9-47 designation)two-seater made its first flight onJanuary 20, 2007. On June 25that year it was followed by thesingle-seat MiG-29K (941, izdeliye9~41). Both prototypes remainthe property of RAe MiG. Jt isworth noting that these were thefirst new aircraft manufactured byRSK MiG after a 15 year break inproduction. All the aircraft madeby MiG until 2007. including mostadvanced MiG-29SMT versions,

were converted from airframesmade in the early 19905.

In early 2008, series productionof aircraft for the Indian Navystarted. The first of them wasflown on March 18, 2008. Startingin the last quarter of 2008 the firstgroup of nine Indian instructorpilots and some 40 ground staffunder command of Captain J.Mahapatra were trained with fourproduction aircraft at the MiGfactory airfield at Lukhovitsy withinthe Qualified Flying Instructors'

conversion training programme.In May 2009. Indian pilotsconducted their first in-flightrefuellings with their MiG-29Ks.They were also sent to the USfor deck landing training and onboard a French aircraft carrierfor operational training. OnSeptember 28, 2009, two newfighter aircraft, the MiG-29K #941belonging to RSK MiG and theMiG-29KUB #762 belonging toIndian Navy (but both piloted byRussian pilots) landed for the first

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MILITARY MiG-29 FULCRUM

time on the deck of the AdmiralKuznetsDv aircraft carrier in theBarents Sea.

On February 19, 2010, at IndianNavy Station (INS) Hansa in Goa,the formal induction ceremony ofthe initial four MiG-29Ks enteredservice with the 303rd 'BlackPanthers' Squadron. The aircrafthad been delivered to India onDecember 4,2009. The aircraftcarrier they will fly from is the INSVikramaditya (it was originallybeing built for the RussianNavy as the Admiral Gorshkov).Currently, India has six MiG-29K!KUB fighters and remaining tenare to be delivered before theend of this year.

In March 2010, during the visitof the Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin to New Delhi, Indiasigned another deal for 29 moreMiG-29Ks for $1.2 billion (theoption for the purchase of thisadditional batch of the fightershas been already included in thecontract of 2004). The deliveryof this batch of aircraft willstart in 2012. Together with 16Fulcrums delivered within thepresent contract, all 45 aircraftwill form three fighter squadronsin the Indian Navy. The changeof the contract for repair andmodernization of aircraft carrierINS Vikramaditya was agreedduring the same visit for a muchhigher price and with a new datefor delivery at the end of 2012.

After purchasing this Russianvessel, India intends to buildits own aircraft carriers. Thefirst Indian Indigenous AircraftCarrier (IAC-1) named INS Vikrantis now under construction atCochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) andis scheduled for delivery tothe Indian Navy by the end of2014. The ship will be capable

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of carrying 30 aircraft comprisinga mix of MiG-29K and the navalvariant of the Indian designedLight Combat Aircraft (LCA),but in view of the slow progressof the LCA, the Navy is lookingat alternatives. In November2009, it has issued a Request forInformation to Boeing, Dassaultand RAC MiG for "an alternatedeck-based aircraft" for IAC-1.The second Indian aircraft carrierIAC-2 will not be the copy ofthe first one; it will be larger and

1 Malaysia will keep its MiG-29Ns for at least the next several next years, despite earlier reports about aircraft's single­role limitations and rapidly increasing costs. 2 MiG-29K #941 after its first landing on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft

carrier on September 29, 2fXJ9. RAe MiG 3 The wing of the MiG-29K1KUB is fitted with a double-slotted leading edgeslat and a large trailing edge flap. Small leading-edge vortex controllers (LEVCON; Krueger flaps) extended at the wingroot improve the aircraft's stability at low-speed. 4 The two-seat MiG-3SD #967 (ex MiG-29KUB #947) is taking part in

evaluation flights for the Indian MMRCA contest. The aircraft is pictured carrying four R-73 and RW-AE air~to-air missiles,two KAB-SOOKr lV-gUided bombs and three auxiliary fuel tanks. Victor Drushlyakov 5 The cockpit of a MiG-29K1KUB has

been arranged by RPKB avionics design bureau of Ramenskoye and features the IKSh-1 M head-up display and three largemultifunction MFI-10 liquid-crystal displays.

equipped with steam catapults(both Vikramaditya and Vikrantare equipped with skHumps).The Indian Navy has startedlooking for"more capable carrier­borne aircraft" for the IAC-2.

Russian

.~.~~Y..C:::C:>.r1.!~il.c:.!Rumours about the RussianNavy purchasing the MiG-29Kappeared for the first time in2007. MiG-29K shipbornefighters were presented to anIndian delegation at Zhukovskynear Moscow in June 2007. Thepresence of Russian Chief of theNaval Aviation Lt General YuriAntipov during this presentationwas very meaningful. Antipovspent some time in the fightercockpit finding out about theequipment. Sources in theRussian Ministry of Defenceconfirmed in 2009 that a batchof ·at least 24· MiG-29K1KUB fighters would soon beordered. The information wasalso confirmed by some sourcesin RAe MiG; moreover, althoughthe formal contract for MiG-29Ksfor the Russian Navy has not beenconcluded, RAC MiG has alreadyordered the subassembliesfor these aircraft. AlexanderKarezin, CEO of the Sokol plantin Nizhnyi Novgorod announcedin February 2010 that his factorywould soon complete productionof assemblies for 16 IndianMiG-29KUBs and would startproduction of assemblies for "thenew version of shipborne aircraftfor another client". Accordingto common opinion this client isthe Russian Navy. The MiG-29Kwill serve on board the one andonly Russian aircraft carrier, theAdmiral Kuznetsov, along withthe Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker airdefence fighters. The 279thShipborne Fighter Air Regimentstationed in Severomorskoperates 23 Su-33s. The originalservice life of these aircraft willexpire in 2012, but for some ofthem at least it will be prolongedby ten years, which means thatthe Su-33 will remain in servicetogether with the new MiG-29K.As the MiG-29K aircraft cameinto existence due to the Indianorder it was equipped with someforeign systems, for example theFrench inertial navigation systemthe Sagem Sigma 95 is used.In the version for Russian Navysome of these foreign deviceswill be replaced by Russianequipment; the Sigma 95 systemwill remain though and theFrench company will establish aservicing centre in Russia.

Because of a further possibleorder from India, as well as

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Russian intentions of constructingfour aircraft carriers, RACMiG intends to continue thedevelopment of shipbornefighters beyond the MiG-29K.The subject matter of carrier­borne fighter will become thespecialization of RAC MiG withinthe confines of the Russian UnitedAircraft Corporation.

MiG-29K Features

To reduce the landing speedonboard the ship, the MiG-29Kreceived larger wings - thewing span is 39ft 4in (11.99m) incomparison to 37ft 3in (11.36m)

in the basic MiG-29, as well aslarge double-slot rear flaps andadaptive nose flaps. Rectangularleading-edge vortex controllers(LEVCON; K",eger flaps) havebeen fitted at the wing rootextensions for increasing thelifting force and aircraft stability.The arresting hook is fitted tothe rear fuselage. The aircraftis equipped with a t<SU-9.41quadruple digital f1y-by-wire flightcontrol system.

The new RD-33MK engine,called the Sea Wasp, has animproved fan that increasesthe airflow by 6.5% and theturbine entry temperature

higher by 40"C, which resultsin a maximum generated thrustof 88,3kN (19,850lb), 6,9 kN(1,551 Ib) more than the RD-33engine. One of the significantimprovements of the MiG-29Kis the implementation of theon-<:ondition maintenanceprocedures and lengtheningthe airframe lifetime to 4,000flight hours or 40 years. RACMiG stated that the flight hourcost would be 40% cheaperthan that of the earlier versionsof the fighter. Exploiting to themaximum the aircraft's interior,the fuel weight was increased to5,2001<g (ll,464lb) - 50% more

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1 An Indian Navy MiG-19K over lukhovitsy near Moscow where the aircraft are assembled. RAe MiG 2 In May 2009,Indian Navy pilots conducted their initial in-flight refuelling from an 11·78 tanker. RAe MiG 3 The MiG-29SMT upgrade

retains the airframe of previous versions of the MiG-29, but features 950 litre dorsal fuel tank as well as an in-flight refuellingprobe. 4 After recent force reductions the Russian Air Force has only three large air bases operating 42 MiG-29s each:

Kursk in the Moscow region, Millerovo near Caucasus and Damna dose to the Chinese border. More aircraft are alsooperated at Kubinka Air Base (by the Strizhi aerobatics team), Upetsk evaluation centre, pilots schools as well as Russian Air

Force base in Erebuni, Armenia. 5 A single-seat MiG-19K of the Indian Navy's No.303 'Black Panthers' Squadron. Thisshot illustrates the wing folding capability of the aircraft which saves space on the aircraft carrier.

than in a standard MiG-29. A new,very large 2,' 50 lit (473 Imp gal)ventral tank, instead of a 1,520 litre(334 Imp gal) tank on a standardFulcrum, and two underwing 1,150litre (253 Imp gaQ tanks, are alsoadded. MiG-29K is also fitted withan in-flight refuelling system. NewMiG-29M/Ks have 50% longerrange and will carry twice as heavya weapon load.

The avionics have beenintegrated into the PrNK-29K,navigation-targeting suite bythe RPKB design bureau ofRamenskoye. All devices areconnected by the data buscomplying with the MIL-STD-, 5536 standard, controlled by acomputing system made by RPKB.The basic fire control systemsare Russian: the Zhuk-M1E radarand the OLS-UE imaging infraredsearch-and-track sensor. The Zhuk­ME radar, made by the Phazotron­NIIR company in Moscow, hasbeen produced since 2004 forMiG-29SMT fighters. The Zhuk-M1 E variant for the MiG-29K hasadditional specific modes of workand cooperation with the remainingequipment. The radar has a rangeof 130km (70nm) and enablessimultaneous engagment of fouraerial targets with RW-AE missiles.The OLS-UE imaging infraredsearch-and-track sensor wasdeveloped at the NIIPP precisioninstruments institute in Moscow,which formerly used to specializein optic and laser instruments formeasurements of the trajectory ofrockets and space stations. Thisis the first work. of the instituteintended for an airaaft. The devicecan detect and automaticallytrack aerial targets at a distance to60km (32nm); the embedded laserrangefinder ranges to 20km (11 nm).

'\ Nine non-Russian components1- belong to the MiG-29K equipment.

Most of the components are Indian:the VHFIUHF radio, the TACANnavigation system, the VORllLSlMKR receivers package, the IFFsystem, the Tarang radar-wamingreceiver and the radar altimeter.The Thales TopSight-E helmet

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MiG-29 FULCRUM MILITARY~.. , .

version has 680 transmitting­receiving modules; the biggerversion FGA35 with 1,064 modulesis being planned for productionaircraft. For the first time. theZhuk-AE radar was switched onin the airplane in June 2008 ina demonstrating configurationwith 240 T/R modules only and inOctober 2008 in full configurationwith 680 modules.

The MiG-35 will be capable ofca''l';ng up to 6.S00kg (14.330Ib)of weapons and stores on elevenhardpoints (ten under the wingsand one under the fuselage).In 2008, RAC MiG disclosedan expanded list of availableweapons, which includes thenew-generation Zvezda Kh-38MEmodule air-to-surface missile,extended-range Raduga Kh-59Mmiss'le, including its new variantsKh-S9MK. Kh·S9M2E and Kh·59MK2, as well as heavy Novator3M-14AE and 3M-54AE1 cruisemissiles. The weapon options

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warning device. All electro­optical sensors for the MiG-35- OLS-UEM. OLS·K. SOAR andSOLO have been developed bythe NlIPP institute. Russian RACMiG and Italian Elletronica S.p.A.declared that they cooperatedin integration of the Ell/568(v}2self-protection jammer intothe MiG-35's self-protection

5') system. The ELT/568 unit coversbands H-J (onboard section)and E-G (podded section). TheRussian option for jammingunits is the SAP-518, made bythe KNIRTI institute; it includeshigh-band build-in section andmedium-band podded section.The aircraft is also equippedwith two 16·round launchers of50mm chaff/flares installed in theempennage beams at the sides ofthe engines; the decoys are shotdownwards.

The Zhuk-AE radar wasdeveloped by the Phazotron-NIIRCompany and the initial FGA29

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Multi Role Combat Aircraft(MMRCA), the Russiansdecided to participate with a'de-navalised' variant of theMiG-29K named later as theMiG-35. Afterwards, along withgrowing requirements of India,the aircraft equipment becamemore and more sophisticated.The present variant of the aircraftis equipped with an activeelectronically scanned array(AESA) Zhuk-AE radar, air-to-airOLS-UEM electro-optical sightbuilt-in ahead of the pilot'scanopy and the air-to-groundOLS-K targeting-reconnaissanceelectro-optical sensor in an underfuselage pod. The self-defencesuite of the MiG-35 includes aradar warning receiver (IndianTarang Mk2 or Russian L150Pastel), the SOAR (StantsiyaObnaruzhen;ya AtakuyushchikhRaket) infrared missile-approachwarning device and the SOLO(Stantsiya ObnaruzheniyaLazernogo Oblucheniya) laser

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MiG-35 getsAE5A Radar

mounted display and sight (HMDS) 3 ,..------------.,.....--------------.......----------......and Sagem Sigma 95 inertialnavigation system (INS) withembedded GPS are Frend1-made.An Israeli Elta EUM·8222 poddedself-protection jammer is mountedon the outer starboard underwingpylon. The communication suitehas a Russian VHF/HF R-800L2radio and R-Q98 datalink systemdeveloped by the Polyot companyin Nizhnyi Novgorod. The aircrafthas a glass cockpit with threecolour 15 x 20cm (6x 8in) MFI­10 l;qu;d oystal d;splays and amonochrome panoramic 1KSh-1Mhead-up display, all the displaysare made by the RPKB Company.In the two-seat version, the rearcockpit is equipped with four MFI­10 displays. All the internationalequipment has been integrated ona test bed at the GosNIIAS aviationsystems institute in Moscow.

The MiG-19K is a multi-rolenaval fighter which can attackaerial targets with medium-rangeRW-AE and close-air combatR-73 missiles. The surface targetscan be engaged with a subsonicKh-35E anti-ship missile at adistance of 130km (70nm) and witha supersonic Kh-31 missile out toa distance of 70km (38nm) - theKh-31 was tested with the MiG-29Kbut was not ordered by the IndianNavy. It is possible, that in thefuture the Indian Navy will buylonger range air-to-surface missilesfor the MiG-19K, for example the3M14 and 3M54 missiles of theKal;br-A (Club) system.

The single seat versionMiG-29K and two seat versionMiG-29KUB have almost nodifferences. Both have a doublecockpit with a large canopyand identical armament andequipment. The only differenceis an additional fuel tank in thesingle seat version instead of therear seat and instrument panel.

When India announced thetender for 126 Medium

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MILITARY MiG-29 FULCRUM

1 Two RD-33 turbofans combined with outstanding aerodynamic configurationgive the MiG-29 high maneouvrability especially at low speed. 2 A MalaysianMiG-29N being prepared for flight. The main air intakes are covered to avoid

foreign object damage with the air reaching the engines through additionalintakes on the upper side of the wing roots. Note also three small rear-looking

mirrors on the cockpit canopy's frame. 3 The active electronically scanningantenna of the Phazotron·NIIR Zhuk-AE (FGA29) is the first Russian AESA fighter

radar ever flown. It has a range of l20km (65nm) and a multi-target engagingcapability. Further FGA35 version with over 1,<XX> modules (the FGA29 has 680

modules) and a new computer will reach a search range of 200km (108nm). PiotrSutowski 4 Most MiG-29s still have Cassegrain·antenna Phazotron N019 radar

with a search range of 70km (38nm) against a fighter-size target and single targetengaging. 5 The MiG·29K has a larger wing when compared to basic MiG-29.

for the MiG-35 also includeguided bombs of 250kg (551Ib)to 1,500kg (3,3071b), with varioushoming types. Apart from theexisting close air combat missilesof R-73E and medium rangeRW-AE, the list of weapons for theMiG-35 includes two new types ofair-to-air missiles codenamed RW­MD (Vympel R-74M) and RW-5D(Vympel R-ll-1).

For a long time, the ex MiG­29M #154 originating from 1990,was presented by the company

t::;;~::~;;;;;;;;~:;:~;;;;;;;;~~;::::_..Jii as the 'proof-of-eoncept' MiG-35. However, since its airframediffered considerably from theplanned target configuration ofthe MiG·35, two new aircraft wereprepared for evaluation flights inIndia. As a matter of fact, theyhave been converted from twoMiG-29Ks and therefore retainedsome elements of the shipbomeaircrah, including wing folding gearthough the arresting hook has been

.!J dismantled. Single-seat MiG-3S

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(side number 961 originating fromthe izdeliye 9-61 designation) isthe production MiG-29K 02-04(fourth aircraft of second productionseries) taken from the productionline at l.1Jkhovitsy, whereas two-seatMiG-35D (#967, izdeliye 9-67)has been converted from thefirst MiG-29KUB (ex #947). Thet'NO-seat aircraft #967 has beenequipped with the Zhuk-AE radar.On October 14, 2009, both aircraft,MiG-35 #961 and MiG-35D #967landed in Bangalore for the firststage of evaluation tests in India.

Unfortunately, there is no reliabledata on the tests of the pretendersfor the Indian order. AlexeiFedorov, chief of United Aircraft

D Corporation estimated the chanceof MiG·35 in the MMRCA tenderas "pretty high". Fedorov is basingthis on the good characteristics ofthe MiG-35, many years of dealingwith the Indian aircraft industry (thelicense manufacturer of RussianMiG-21 and MiG-27 and now5u-30MKI fighters), as well as "strictpolitical contacts between Russiaand India." At the same timeFedorov added that "for the timebeing no offer is entirely satisfactoryfor the Indian party."

The final configuration ofthe MiG-35 and particularly itsequipment is still undefined. Forthe time being the offer includesthe Zhuk-AE radar developedby Phazotron-NIIR. The headof RAC MiG (and also of SukhoiGroup) Mikhail Pogosyan suggests,however, that in the future the MiG­35 may be equipped with a variantof the Sh121 <ad" borrowed fromfrfth-generation PAK FA fighter.

The Russian Air Force intendsa future purchase of between2448 MiG-35 fighters; the dealis promised to be signed aftercompletion of the trials in 2011.

Syria ExpectsMiG-29MNot every client needs (and canafford) to have the most modernequipment, such as an AESA radar.For such customers RAC MiG offersthe MiG-29M, an impoverishedvariant of the MiG-35 equippedwith the mechanical scanning

4'i Zhuk-ME radar; its two-seatderivative is designated MiG­29M2. MiG has a dient for thisversion in Syria. The Syrian orderhas never been offidally confirmedby Russia. Unofficially it is knownthat the preliminary agreement wasconcluded as early as January 2007,while the contract for a squadron(of about 15) MiG-29M and M2aircraft and for modernisation of20 Syrian MiG-29s to MiG-295MTstandard was eventually signednear the end of 2009. The firstMiG-29M will be built in 2010.

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Upgrades ofOlder FulcrumsRAC MiG is offering a deepmodemization of its earlieraircraft to MiG-295MT standard.This upgrade includes severalmodules, which may be orderedindependently. The first moduleincludes replacement of theN019 radar with a newZhuk-MEradar with slot-type aerial, aswell as installing new armament:the RW-AE air-to-air missile, theKh·29 and Kh-31 air-to-surfacemissiles and other weapons. Thesecond module of modernisationindudes a new avionic systembuilt around the MIL-STD-1553Bdata bus as well as new man-to­machine interface: 'glass' cockpitand hands-on-throttle-and-stick(HOTAS). The third module ofmodemization involves increasingthe fuel volume. The 950 litre (209Imp gal) fuel tank can be installedon the back of the fuselage behindthe pilot's cockpit. A very large2,150 litre (495 Imp gaO fuel tankis carried under the fuselageand two 1,150 litre (253 Imp gaOtanks are carried under the wing.The aircraft is equipped with anin-flight air refuelling system. Thefirst client, Yemen, ordered 18MiG-29SMTs in December 2002in the version designated izdeliye9-18 without the additional dorsalfuel tank. In 2004, Eritrea orderedtwo MiG-29SMT fighters.

During the visit of VladimirPutin, who was Russian Presidentat the time, to Algeria in February2006 both countries signed alarge weapons deal includingthe purchase of 28 single-seatMiG-29SMT (izdeliye 9-19 versionwith 950 litre [209 Imp gal] dorsalfuel tank) and six two-seat MiG­29UBTs. Deliveries started and 15aircraft (induding five trainers) werehanded over by February 2008, atwhich point the Algerian PresidentAbdelaziz Bouteflika cancelledthe contract during his visit toMoscow. Algeria complainedabout the quality of the aircraftmanufacturing, particularly the factthat the airframes were not brandnew. After some negotiations,Algeria sent these aircraft backand they were acquired by theRussian Air Force in December2008. In February 2009, the fimex-Algerian MiG arrived at the14th Fighter Air Regiment in Kursk­Khalino Air Base. Today, the unitoperates 24 MiG-29SMTs and fourtrainers; the remaining six aircraftare with the combat trainingand evaluation centre in Lipetsk.The equipment on the aircraftrejected by Algeria is now beingchanged; among other thingsRussian IFF systems are beinginstalled (instead of their export

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