mig-29 in russia airforce

Below: A line of MiG-29 (Model 9-12As) on the taxiway at Astrakhan before a mass launch for another mission during the Shtit Souza (Union’s Shield) international exercise in September 2012. All photos Andrey Zinchuk via author

61#318 SEPTEMBER 2014www.airforcesdaily.com

RUSSIAN AIR FORCE MiG-29s

The Russian Air Force has been flying the MiG-29 since 1983 but, as Alexander Mladenov reports, the type still has many years’ service left in it.

FulcrumsRussian Air Force

Classic FulcrumsAs of early 2014, the VVS is believed to

have between 150 and 170 classic MiG-29s

(comprising Models 9-12, 9-12A, 9-13, 9-13S

and 9-51 derivatives) in service. Some of

these jets date back to the second half of

the 1980s and the early 1990s. It also has

28 MiG-29SMT Fulcrum-Fs and six two-seat

MiG-29UBTs that were taken on by Russia

after Algeria declined to accept them.

60-68_Fulcrums_Sept jg.indd 61 04/08/2014 10:18

A close-up view of the rather basic retractable refuelling probe installed on the MiG-29SMT. No comments from pilots on how this relatively huge assembly affects the aircraft’s aerodynamics and performance have been published.

62 SEPTEMBER 2014 #318 www.airforcesmonthly.com


The Fulcrum’s future with the VVSDuring the � rst half of 2013, the Russian media increasingly speculated about an anticipated order for a batch of 37 new-generation MiG-35 multi-role � ghters for the VVS. This advanced Fulcrum derivative is a slightly improved derivative of the export-standard MiG-29M/M2, using its basic airframe and the more powerful engines developed for the MiG-29K/KUB carrier-capable version. It uses avionics and ordnance already integrated on the MiG-29SMT.

However, in July 2013 it was of� cially announced by the Russian MoD that the MiG-35 contract had been postponed for three years due to � nancial dif� culties. Many experienced observers believe the ‘money problems’ excuse is not the entire story. Another reason for the delay suggested in the specialist Russian press is the limited production capability of RAC MiG, which is working � at out on orders for delivering MiG-29K/KUBs to India and Russia between 2013 and 2015. Whatever the reason, the MiG-35 is still a very new aircraft and it will take some time to fully develop and test it, and its systems, before it is ready for serial production.

Meanwhile, as partial compensation to the manufacturer for the postponement of the order, and also as a kind of state support for the company that is still in a pretty dif� cult � nancial state, RAC MiG has received an order for another batch of MiG-29SMTs. A total of 16 examples were purchased under a contract signed on April 15, 2014, priced at 16 billion roubles (some US$530 million for a unit price of about US$33 million) and slated

for delivery in 2016. Just like the previous batch, these MiG-29SMTs will most likely use airframes constructed in the early 1990s and still stored at RSK MiG’s � nal assembly plant at Lukhovitsy, south of Moscow.

The MiG-29SMT order could be seen as another con� rmation of today’s VVS � ghter � eet strategy to invest in multiple low risk, and even somewhat conservative solutions, apparently in order to avoid any unpleasant technical surprises (as could be found, for example, in the introduction of brand-new types or even deep upgrades such as the Su-35S and Su-30SM). These new MiG-29SMTs will likely be used to replace worn-out machines in the only VVS frontline unit operating classic Fulcrums – the 31st Guards IAP in Millerovo, which has been experiencing serious � eet availability problems in recent years due to the expired TBO of most of its aircraft.

At the same time, the classic MiG-29 is nearing the end of its originally assigned service life in VVS service, but there are no plans (at least in public) for any avionics and weapon system upgrade initiatives. The initial airframe service life limit set up by RAC MiG for the classic Fulcrum calls for 2,500 � ight hours and/or 20 years, whichever is reached � rst. Major overhaul is required every 1,000 hours or ten years of operation. That

service life has now been increased to 3,500 hours and 30 years. This means Fulcrums produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s can continue serving with the VVS until the completion of MiG-29SMT and MiG-35 deliveries in 2019 or 2020.

There is a possibility that a small number of classic MiG-29s will soldier on even longer, until the mid or even late 2020s, if they undergo service life-extension programmes (SLEPs) such as those implemented by RAC MiG on MiG-29s exported to nations such as Slovakia and Bulgaria. In this, still very remote case, the VVS Fulcrums could be made good for use for 40 years and 4,000 hours, but without even a modest avionics and weapon system upgrade, such SLEP efforts are viewed as being far from a practical and cost-effective solution.




only because Algeria cancelled a March 2006 order for 28 MiG-29SMTs and six MiG-29UBTs, valued at US$1.3 billion (£760 million).

The MiG-29SMT, developed initially for export customers, is also known under the RAC MiG internal designation Model 9-19. Production started on this true multi-role fighter in 2004. However, RAC MiG also offers a package to upgrade classic Fulcrums to SMT standard.

The first fighters were delivered to Algeria in early 2007, but by May that year the hand-over process had been stopped. The reason given was the discovery of

used parts on the newly supplied Fulcrums. Algeria took this as a serious violation by the Russian contractor of the contractual terms and conditions, and cancelled the whole deal.

After the deal fell through, aircraft already delivered to Algeria were returned to Russia in late 2008. The principal sensor of the MiG-29SMT is the Phazotron-NIIR FGM-129 Zhuk-ME mechanically scanned slotted-antenna pulse-Doppler radar, the same as the one integrated into the MiG-29K/KUB and the MiG-29M/M2. The radar enables the use of the AA-12 Adder active radar-guided beyond visual

range air-to-air missile. In the air-

Above: Since 2011, VVS frontline pilots have, over the course of 140 to 160 training sorties each, fl own around 100 fl ight hours per annum.




to-air mode, the new radar boasts a multiple-target engagement capability, which the classic MiG-29 lacks, with a claimed maximum detection range of about 150km (81nm) and acquisition range of 120km (65nm) against a fighter-size target.

The Zhuk-ME’s air-to-surface mode offers a maximum detection range against large ships of some 300km (161nm) and the radar also has high-resolution terrain-mapping function. Ground and sea target positioning accuracy is advertised to be within 5m (16ft), while resolution in the air-to-surface mode is within 3m (10ft).

The SPO-150-1 Pastel radar warning receiver (RWR) is another new sensor with expanded functionality. It can be used in conjunction with the Kh-31A (AS-17

Krypton) anti-radar missile in the suppression of air defence (SEAD) role. Non-Russian avionics found on the MiG-29SMT include the high-performance Sagem Sigma 95N inertial navigation system (INS), which has an integrated GPS receiver for accurate navigation and targeting without using ground-based radio navigation aids.

In late January 2009, the first two MiG-29SMTs were handed over to the VVS’s 4th Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre at Lipetsk, assigned to the 2nd Aviation Squadron (AE) of the 968th IISAP (Instructor-Research Composite Regiment), which is equipped with a variety of Fulcrums. The first five single-seat aircraft were handed over to the 14th Guards IAP at Kursk-Khalino in February that year, but the unit did not commence regular flying activity until at least the July.

The 14th Guards IAP was reformed initially in December 2009 to become the 6963rd Air Base. Then, in December 2010, another round of organisational changes led to the Kursk-based fighter regiment being re-designated as the 5th Air Group as part of the 7000th Air Base, headquartered at Voronezh-Baltimor in Russia’s Western Military District.

The next round of organisational changes within the VVS’s frontal aviation air arm, undertaken in December 2013 and January 2014, saw the disbandment of the air base/aviation group

Above: The multi-role MiG-29SMT is capable of using most Russian guided ordnance designed for tactical aircraft such as the AA-12 Adder active radar homing air-to-air missile, the Kh-29 (AS-14 Kedge) TV-guided air-to-surface missile, the Kh-31P (AS-17 Krypton) anti-radar missile, another version of the Krypton the Kh-31A anti-ship weapon and the KAB-500Kr TV-guided bomb. However, none had been seen on Kursk-based jets by early 2014.

In an effort to eliminate problems caused by corrosion, this fl at-back MiG-29 taking off from Astrakhan has received reinforcement plates (seen here applied over the bort number) on both sides of the tail fi ns.




structure and the resurrection of the regimental/division organisation. During this latest transformation, one of the Kursk-based aviation units had its previous organisational structure and regalia as the 14th Guards Leningrad Fighter Aviation Regiment restored. It now comprises a command section, two component aviation squadrons and an aircraft phased maintenance and field repair unit. The regiment, in turn, is subordinated to the newly established 105th Guards Composite Aviation Division, headquartered in Voronezh. The changes are designed to improve morale among service men and women and provide a link to the illustrious past of units that trace their histories back to the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.

Air-to-air combat training conducted on a daily basis by the regiment’s aircrews includes day and night intercepts, air combat, and high-g manoeuvring practice. These manoeuvres are carried out by solo aircraft and in pairs, at altitudes between 600 and 14,000m (1,968 and 45,920ft), in visual and instrument meteorological conditions.

Since 2011, in order to master the enhanced multi-role capabilities of their new Fulcrums, the two MiG-29SMT squadrons have been training for air-to-ground missions using unguided ordnance, such as free-fall bombs and 80mm rockets. This type of training had not been practised by frontline fighter regiments since the early 1990s, when the shortages

of fuel and spares sharply reduced their flying hours. Despite the presence of air-to-air refuelling

probes on both the single- and two-seat MiG-29s at Kursk, the regiment has not yet begun practising the skill because the Flight Test Centre at Akhtubinsk has not yet completed air-to-air refuelling trials to validate the procedure and add the appropriate amendments to the types’ flight

manuals. The MiG-29UBT’s retractable refuelling probe is installed for pilot training purposes and is not connected to the fuel system – it is capable of practising dry contacts only.

Even without air-to-air refuelling, the MiG-29SMT boasts a significantly extended range and endurance compared to the baseline Model 9-12 and the slightly improved 9-13. This is thanks to the two conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) on the upper fuselage that give the jet its pronounced hump, spoiling the otherwise sleek and elegant Fulcrum silhouette. The front CFT accommodates 1,400 lit (370 US gal) of fuel, while the rear one has a capacity of 480 lit (127 US gal). Compared to the baseline Fulcrum, the MiG-29SMT boasts almost 30% more internal fuel, a total of 6,100 lit (1,611 US gal). The fuel capacity can be further increased by the use of a single 1,500 lit (396 US gal) under-fuselage tank and two 800 -lit (211 US gal) wing tanks.

The increased internal fuel volume restricts manoeuvrability with full tanks but the MiG-29SMT is cleared for +9g manoeuvring when carrying less than 70% of its internal fuel load.

Above: A missile-laden MiG-29SMT inside its QRA revetment at Kursk during engine start-up. Its main intakes are fully closed to prevent the ingestion of foreign objects. Below: In addition to the national fi ghter and SAM force training and combat readiness inspection exercises, the MiG-29s from the 185th TsBPIA also regularly participate in international training events, shoulder to shoulder with fi ghters and SAM units from a number of CIS counties such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that use the Ashuluk range for live missile fi ring practice.

The MiG-29SMT’s Zhuk-ME radar can track up to 10 aerial targets and provide data for the engagement of four with AA-12 Adder beyond visual range (BVR) active-radar missiles.




Due to the extensive re-modelling of their home base between late 2010 and November 2012, the two MiG-29SMT/UBT squadrons were temporarily deployed to Buturlinovka airfield, some 400km (216nm) from Kursk. Their training routine continued unaltered and a pair of jets was kept in readiness on quick reaction alert (QRA) until both squadrons went back home to Kursk. Speaking to the local press on their return from Buturlinovka, Lt Col Ruslan Kupchin, CO of the air group, said that over the two years of operations at that airfield the two MiG-29SMT/UBT squadrons had amassed a total flight time of 4,800 hours.

In addition to the 18th Guards IAP, the MiG-29SMT/UBT is also operated by the 4th Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre at Lipetsk (one or two UBTs and two SMTs) and the VVS’s 929th State Flight Test Centre at Akhtubinsk where at least two single-seat jets are used on a permanent basis. The number of new-generation Fulcrums operated by these two units varies in accordance with the needs of current training and test and evaluation programmes. The training and test centres take additional aircraft from the 14th Guards IAP on a temporary basis when needed.

Classic Fulcrums in regimental service Jets in the VVS’s fleet of classic MiG-29s are on average 25 years old and they are fitted with sensors and weapons that handicap them in the beyond visual range (BVR) arena. They can only use the Vympel R-27R (AA-10 Alamo) semi-active radar-homing medium-to-long range missile (SARH), and their basic Phazotron N009 pulse-Doppler radars are capable of tracking only one target and guiding two SARH missiles at a time.

The MiG-29 is more effective in within visual range (WVR) air combat due to the combination of the aircraft’s agility and the R-73 (AA-11 Archer) high off-boresight missile used in conjunction with a helmet-mounted cueing system.

The 31st Guards IAP based at Millerovo in the Southern Military District is the only VVS frontline regiment using classic MiG-29s.

The regiment converted to the MiG-29 in 1993, and initially operated a fleet of 42 aircraft that were assigned to three component squadrons. They were equipped with Model 9-13 single-seat and Model 9-51 two-seat jets. By 2005, the fleet had been

reduced to 24 single- and six two-seat machines that were assigned to two active squadrons. Non-airworthy machines were gathered in another squadron for use as spare parts donors.

The Millerovo-based regiment was heavily involved in the combined air defence operation for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games (WOG) held in Sochi on the Black Sea coast. It maintained a four-ship detachment on QRA from October 2013, at the forward operation base at Gudauta-Bombora Air Base in Abkhazia, close to the WOG area.

Another frontline unit that operated the classic MiG-29 until recently was the 120th Guards IAP stationed at Domna airfield in eastern Siberia. From November 2013, the unit’s MiG-29s were replaced by the new Su-30SM heavyweight tactical fighter.

Fighter aviation combat training centre The MiG-29 is the only type operated by the 185th TsBPIA (Fighter Aviation Combat Training and Combat Employment Centre) of the VVS’s fighter aviation branch. Stationed at Astrakhan-Privolzhskiy airfield in southern Russia, not far from the Caspian Sea, the centre has two MiG-29 squadrons. All of its single-seat aircraft are Model

Above: This flat-backed MiG-29A, belonging to the Astrakhan combat training centre, wears a non-standard overall light grey camouflage, applied by the centre’s own maintenance and field repair unit. Right: The MiG-29SMT-equipped 18th Guards IAP is expected to receive new guided ordnance in 2014 or 2015. The Russian MoD has placed large orders for several types of new missiles, manufactured by Tactical Missiles Corp.

Above: The MiG-29SMT was designed in order to remove one of the MiG-29’s major issues, namely its short range and limited flight endurance. It received two conformal fuel tanks on the upper fuselage that form a pronounced hump. They accommodate 1,880 lit (496 US gal) of fuel, 30% more than can be carried by the flat-back basic model.




9-12A export-standard flat-back variants. The principal mission of the centre is to train pilots

of the VVS’s frontline units in combat techniques, and support fighter units and surface-to-air missile (SAM) units in conducting live firing at the nearby Ashuluk range. VVS fighter units visit Astrakhan- Privolzhskiy for annual training exercises. The MiG-29s based at Astrakhan are used as aggressor aircraft. Their pilots check the air combat skills of the aircrews from the visiting fighter regiments in both BVR and WVR scenarios.

The MiG-29s at Astrakhan have maintained a full-time QRA detachment since March 2001, covering the southern borders of Russia and its airspace over the Caspian Sea.

Another important task of the 185th TsBPIA’s MiG-29s is supporting the testing and evaluation of new or upgraded SAM and electro-optical systems, and radars at the Ashuluk range. For the purposes of the tests, Fulcrums simulate both manoeuvring and non-manoeuvring targets. Flying at a variety of speeds and altitudes, they evaluate the detection and tracking capabilities of the ground-based air defence and surveillance systems.

The Astrakhan centre received its first MiG-29s in

1989 and by 2000 had around 40 aircraft on strength. Currently, it has between 12 and 20 airworthy MiG-29s at any given moment. Each year they support about 20 combat training exercises involving VVS frontline fighter regiments and SAM units, as well as foreign visitors. The average flying time for the centre’s flight crews in 2013 was 100 hours per pilot.

The MiG-29s from Astrakhan are also routinely used for range safety during practice or test missile firing at Ashuluk. They loiter close to the firing zone ready to intercept and shoot down a remotely controlled aerial target should one go out of control and deviate from its assigned tracks. This very demanding mission is conducted only by the most highly qualified pilots.

There are very strict entry requirements for pilots applying to serve with the centre at Astrakhan, and since the early 2000s it has stopped accepting pilots from the other VVS units. It now selects aircrew from the best fighter pilot graduates from the Krasnodar branch of the VVS’s Voronezh Military Training-Scientific Centre, who have already converted to the MiG-29. Upon arrival at Astrakhan these promising lieutenants undergo an accelerated combat training course to achieve full combat-ready status in three years. Perhaps the top mission qualification achieved by the centre’s young and talented aircrews, (they are aged between 27 and 29 years), with a total flight time of 700 hours under their belts, is group air combat – four versus four at low level (200 to 1,500m [656 to 4,920ft]). The average age of the centre’s pilots, just as in the other VVS Fulcrum units, is 30 years, with 75% per cent of them boasting a full-combat-ready status – the so-called 1st Class combat readiness rating.

The last batch of 16 MiG-29SMTs was delivered to the 18th Guards IAP between December 2009 and January 2010.

Currently, the hump-back Model 9-13 version comprises the vast majority of single-seat MiG-29s in the VVS fleet. This is a specially decorated machine belonging to the 2nd AE of the combat training centre at Lipetsk; it is used for flight displays.




Lipetsk combat training centre The first Soviet Air Force unit to take the MiG-29 on strength was the Lipetsk-based 4th Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre, which received its first Fulcrums in 1984. Today the type is operated by the 2nd AE of the 968th IISAP, but between late 2009 and late 2013 the regiment was known as the 1st Air Group of the 4th State Centre for Combat Training and Field Trials. Its Fulcrum fleet comprises a mixture of versions, the most numerous of which is the fat-backed Model 9-13, but there are also several examples of the MiG-29UB, MiG-29UBT and MiG-29SMT.

The centre's principal business is to provide aircrew conversion training for all new tactical aircraft types operated by the VVS, as well as specialised training for young pilots from frontline units. These young fighter pilots possess limited flying and tactical experience and undergo advanced training at Lipetsk. They are taught new and complex types of missions such as low-level aerobatics and air combat manoeuvring, and they take refresher courses for complex mission qualifications. The Lipetsk centre also provides instructor qualification courses for selected pilots from frontline units and other training centres. The centre’s pilots are also involved in research and evaluation programmes on new equipment, as well as in the development of combat training manuals and new tactics. The centre is the first recipient of all newly -procured tactical aircraft types for the VVS. It completes their flight test and evaluation effort. The centre conducts their field evaluation trials, develops combat employment manuals and trains an initial instructor cadre as well as pilots from frontline units earmarked to receive the new machine.

Among the most notable research undertakings involving the Fulcrum squadron at Lipetsk this decade has been the testing and evaluation of the so-called navigation bombing of targets. That is to say, targets with a known position (ie, without visual or radar contact with the target) using positional data derived from the aircraft’s own satellite navigation receiver only.

Almost every year since 2000 the MiG-29 squadrons at Lipetsk have received several new lieutenants immediately after their graduation from the fighter class of the Krasnodar branch of the VVS’s Voronezh Military Training-Scientific Centre. Handpicked

by the centre’s commanders, they are among the best graduates the school has to offer, and as a rule they are already trained on the MiG-29. Just like the 185th TsBPIA, the new pilots are pushed through accelerated training on arrival at Lipetsk, logging up to 120 hours a year. They also receive an instructor qualification for conversion to type training, and later they achieve instructor qualifications for a range of complex combat employment missions and obtain ratings to fly more sophisticated fighter or fighter-bomber types operated by the other squadrons at Lipetsk.

The Lipetsk centre also controls one aerial display squadron equipped with the Fulcrum, the Striji (Swifts) squadron stationed at Kubinka airfield near Moscow. Kubinka was incorporated as a component air group within the structure of the Lipetsk centre in 2009. Currently, the Striji squadron has ten or so specially painted single- and two-seat Fulcrums for formation display flights.

Training in Armavir and Kushchevskaya The MiG-29 is used in the advanced and lead-in fighter training role by two squadrons within the structure of the Krasnodar branch of the VVS’s Voronezh Military Training-Scientific Centre. The type equips one squadron of the 200th UAB (Training Aviation Base) stationed at Armavir airfield in the southern part of Russia. The unit’s predecessor, the 713rd UAP (Training Aviation Regiment), acquired its first MiG-29s in 2001 and used them for the advanced training of the best student pilots selected for fighters. The Fulcrum

will continue to soldier on in this role until it is fully replaced by the Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten lead-in fighter jet trainer in 2016 or 2017.

Armavir uses its Fulcrums to train student pilots from the fighter aviation stream during the final phase of their three-year training programme. They convert to the Fulcrum after logging some 130 to 140 hours on the Aero L-39C Albatros jet trainer, and fly the twin-engine supersonic fighter during a five month long course logging 40 to 45 hours, including 30 to 35 on a MiG-29UB and 12 to 13 hours on a single-seater. In addition, before starting the flight part of their course, they log 12 hours on a MiG-29 simulator.

New VVS pilots graduate from Armavir as lieutenants with a set of basic flying and tactical/weapons system management skills which enable them to fly aerobatics (performing a set of basic fighter manoeuvres) at medium altitudes and conduct mock air combats against manoeuvring targets (the so-called ‘typical attack runs on air target’) at low and medium level in clear weather.

The Fulcrum is also operated by another training base of the Krasnodar branch – the 195th UAB (formerly known as the 797th UAP) stationed at Kushchevskaya airfield not far from Krasnodar in southern Russia. It is tasked with advanced and conversion-to-type training for foreign pilots. The MiG-29 has been used at the field since 1992, mainly to provide conversion training to pilots outside Russia, but it has also trained a number of VVS student pilots from the Armavir flight training centre. In 2012-2013, the squadron flight schedule increased as it checked out a significant number of aircraft fresh from main overhaul.

Above: The fi rst MiG-29SMTs handed over to the VVS in early 2009 were taken directly from the manufacturer’s plant at Lukhovitsy near Moscow.

A pair of fat-back MiG-29s of the 2nd AE of the Lipetsk-based aviation group pumps out PPI-26 protective fl ares while performing an aerobatic display.

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