Difference between revisions of "MiG-29"

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(Usage in battles: wrote 1 of the 3 guides for the MiG-29 i have planned, i have written a full usage guide on the R-27R/ER missiles after playing for 150 battles, planning to writing the rest of the guides as well.)
(Edits)
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
The MiG-29 has a unique flight character, its engines consume a lot of fuel thus the external fuel tank, getting rid of the external fuel tank will reduce drag and improve the performance of the aircraft, this is mostly done before engaging a target. But the engines also provide excellent thrust at a very wide range of speeds giving you enough power to engage in long-lasting dogfights. The aircraft is not equipped with variable wing sweep, which is not very noticeable. Only when flying at high speeds at lower altitudes will you begin to notice that the wings produce much lift. The MiG-29 has decent maneuverability at high and low speeds, the energy retention is not something to complain about either. The 30 mm guns have a high velocity, making it easy to aim at targets, and are much better than earlier Soviet aircraft. The missiles which are the most effective are the R-60M and R-27ER. The R-60M are very easy to flare off, and at its BR many people will dodge these missiles in a head-on fairly easily. But the R-27ER has some very effective performance, with an improved radar system this missile will rock the battlefield.
+
The MiG-29 has a unique flight character, its engines consume a lot of fuel thus the external fuel tank, getting rid of the external fuel tank will reduce drag and improve the performance of the aircraft, this is mostly done before engaging a target. But the engines also provide excellent thrust at a very wide range of speeds giving you enough power to engage in long-lasting dogfights. The aircraft is not equipped with variable wing sweep, which is not very noticeable. Only when flying at high speeds at lower altitudes will you begin to notice that the wings produce much lift. The MiG-29 has decent manoeuvrability at high and low speeds, the energy retention is not something to complain about either. The 30 mm guns have a high velocity, making it easy to aim at targets, and are much better than earlier Soviet aircraft. The missiles which are the most effective are the R-60M and R-27ER. The R-60M are very easy to flare off, and at its BR many people will dodge these missiles in a head-on fairly easily. But the R-27ER has some very effective performance, with an improved radar system this missile will rock the battlefield.
  
 
'''Guide on R-27R/ER'''
 
'''Guide on R-27R/ER'''
  
To use the Radar Variants of the R-27 to the fullest make sure to firstly enable "use rectangular radar indicator", disable "Target cyclis switching of aircraft radar" in the settings and set up keybinds for "Horizontal Radar/IRST target cue control axis" and "Vertical Radar/IRST target cue control axis". By doing all of this you have now full control over your radar which will allow you to maximize your potential. Once taking off make sure to either have TWS or TWS HDN as selected radar mode, this will allow you to see in third person where the selected (not radar locked) target is and where its heading. Change the scope scale to 100 Km to be able to see where the flock of enemies are going, and with that information adjust your trajectory into a flank. Your goal here is to pick off individual high flying targets, so with use of your Horizontal and Vertical Cue Control go over incoming radar pings and sort out which target is most likely to remain high altitude. Start Flanking that target and getting close to it, once in a range of 15-20 Km: Lock on to the target and fire away your radar missile, The enemy will not have enough time to break the radar lock and will get eliminated by the fast incoming R-27R/ER. If the targets are getting to a below 10Km range, start preparing yourself to swap into HMD PD (within visual range combat radar mode). This will allow you to make use of the Head Mounted Display to lock on to any target you look at. Which will allow you to lock on to jets who not near the ground, and once the missile is fired away the target will have a low chance of evading it. A thing to keep in mind about these missiles: is that when fired below 3 Km the enemies might be able to evade/dodge the missile due to the shear launch speed it has.
+
To use the radar variants of the R-27 to the fullest make sure to firstly enable "Use rectangular radar indicator", disable "Target cycles switching of aircraft radar" in the settings and set up keybinds for "Horizontal Radar/IRST target cue control axis" and "Vertical Radar/IRST target cue control axis". By doing all of this you have now full control over your radar which will allow you to maximize your potential. Once taken off, make sure to either have TWS or TWS HDN as selected radar mode, this will allow you to see in third person where the selected (not radar locked) target is and where it is heading. Change the scope scale to 100 km to be able to see where the flock of enemies is going, and with that information adjust your trajectory into a flank. Your goal here is to pick off individual high-flying targets, so with use of your horizontal and vertical cue control go over incoming radar pings and sort out which target is most likely to remain at high altitude. Start flanking the target and getting closer to it. When at a range of 15-20 km, lock on to the target and fire away your radar-guided missile. The enemy will not have enough time to break the radar lock and will get destroyed by the fast incoming R-27R/ER. If the targets are getting below 10 km range, prepare yourself to swap into HMD PD (within visual range combat radar mode). This will allow you to make use of the helmet-mounted display to lock on to any target you look at. This will allow you to lock on to jets who are not near the ground, and once the missile is fired away the target will have little chance evading it. When fired below 3 km, the enemies might be able to evade/dodge the missile due to the sheer launch speed it has.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===

Revision as of 19:25, 20 April 2023

Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
This page is about the Soviet jet fighter MiG-29. For the other version, see MiG-29 (Germany).
mig_29_9_13.png
GarageImage MiG-29.jpg
MiG-29
AB RB SB
12.7 12.7 12.7
Research:400 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:1 080 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The MiG-29 (9-13) (NATO Code: Fulcrum-C; Izdeliye [Product] 9.13) is a rank VIII Soviet jet fighter with a battle rating of 12.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Apex Predators".

The first revision of the famous Strizhi (Swifts; nickname in Russian) family jet fighters, the MiG-29 offers a completely new style of combat, especially when the overall flight performance is vastly superior to the preceding MiG-23s with its light airframe and powerful jet engines, as well as new BVR missiles at its disposal.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Drogue parachute
Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway
Max speed
at 14 000 m2 448 km/h
Turn time20 s
Max altitude16 000 m
Engine2 х Klimov RD-33
Type
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight46 t
Characteristics Max speed
(km/h at 14,000 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 2,360 2,314 16000 20.3 20.5 272.2 258.6 750
Upgraded 2,544 2,448 19.2 19.7 367.7 318.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear Drogue chute
X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
1,575 700 - 532 463 ~10 ~4
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 680 < 750 < 700 -

Engine performance

Engine Aircraft mass
Engine name Number Basic mass Wing loading (full fuel)
Klimov RD-33 2 10,895 kg ___ kg/m2
Engine characteristics Mass with fuel (no weapons load) Max Gross
Weight
Weight (each) Type 8m fuel 20m fuel 28m fuel
1,050 kg Afterburning low-bypass turbofan 11,901 kg 13,241 kg 14,248 kg 18,408 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition 100% WEP 8m fuel 20m fuel 28m fuel MGW
Stationary 3,920 kgf 6,816 kgf 1.15 1.03 0.96 0.74
Optimal 5,430 kgf
(1,575 km/h)
12,445 kgf
(1,575 km/h)
2.09 1.88 1.75 1.35

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff
Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar
Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear700 km/h

Aside from the airframe and the alloy skin themselves, the MiG-29 offers no extra protection to pilots or vital components; although the size is not the biggest among jets of its tier. Hits from cannon or missiles will very likely damage the jet beyond repair or taking down the pilot straight away. In case of a fire onboard, the Engine Fire System can save the jet and leave some thrust for a retreat or revenge kill.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 898 → 4 396 Sl icon.png
RB8 371 → 12 698 Sl icon.png
SB9 873 → 14 977 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications309 600 Rp icon.png
480 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost3 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training310 000 Sl icon.png
Experts1 080 000 Sl icon.png
Aces3 400 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 280 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
90 / 320 / 490 % Sl icon.png
250 / 250 / 250 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods booster.png
New boosters
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
510 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
920 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
510 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
510 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
920 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
S-24
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air missile.png
R-60
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods ammo.png
GSh_301_belt_pack
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods napalm fire bomb.png
ZB-500
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods heli false thermal targets.png
Flares/Chaff
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon block rocket.png
B-8M1
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
510 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
OFAB-100
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
510 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27ER
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air missile.png
R-60M
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
GSh_301_new_gun
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
FAB-250
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
20 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27T
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
920 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
FAB-500
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
920 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns) CCIP (Rockets) CCIP (Bombs) CCRP (Bombs) Lead indicator
Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png

Offensive armament

Main article: GSh-30-1 (30 mm)

The MiG-29 is armed with:

  • A choice between two presets:
    • 1 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon, cheek-mounted (150 rpg)
    • 1 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon + 60 x countermeasures

Suspended armament

Main articles: ZB-500 incendiary, S-8KO, S-24B
Main articles: R-27ER, R-27R, R-27T, R-60, R-60M

The MiG-29 can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

  • 1 x 1,500 l drop tank
  • 2 x R-60M missiles
  • 6 x R-60M missiles
  • 6 x R-60 missiles
  • 2 x R-27T missiles
  • 2 x R-27R missiles
  • 2 x R-27ER missiles
  • 80 x S-8KO rockets
  • 4 x S-24B rockets
  • 16 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,600 kg total)
  • 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-54 bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 8 x 250 kg FAB-250M-54 bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 8 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total) across 2 pylons
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total) across 4 pylons
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs (2,000 kg total) across 2 pylons
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs (2,000 kg total) across 4 pylons
  • 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs

Custom loadout options

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Hardpoints MiG-29.png
100 kg OFAB-100 bombs 4 4 4 4
250 kg FAB-250M-54 bombs 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2
250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2
500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs 1 1, 2 1, 2 1
500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs 1 1, 2 1, 2 1
ZB-500 incendiary bombs 1 1 1 1
S-8KO rockets 20 20 20 20
S-24B rockets 1 1 1 1
R-27ER missiles 1 1
R-27R missiles 1 1
R-27T missiles 1 1
R-60 missiles 1 1 1 1 1 1
R-60M missiles 1 1 1 1 1 1
1,500 l drop tanks 1
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 3,050 kg
Maximum permissible wing load: 1,525 kg
Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,200 kg

Usage in battles

The MiG-29 has a unique flight character, its engines consume a lot of fuel thus the external fuel tank, getting rid of the external fuel tank will reduce drag and improve the performance of the aircraft, this is mostly done before engaging a target. But the engines also provide excellent thrust at a very wide range of speeds giving you enough power to engage in long-lasting dogfights. The aircraft is not equipped with variable wing sweep, which is not very noticeable. Only when flying at high speeds at lower altitudes will you begin to notice that the wings produce much lift. The MiG-29 has decent manoeuvrability at high and low speeds, the energy retention is not something to complain about either. The 30 mm guns have a high velocity, making it easy to aim at targets, and are much better than earlier Soviet aircraft. The missiles which are the most effective are the R-60M and R-27ER. The R-60M are very easy to flare off, and at its BR many people will dodge these missiles in a head-on fairly easily. But the R-27ER has some very effective performance, with an improved radar system this missile will rock the battlefield.

Guide on R-27R/ER

To use the radar variants of the R-27 to the fullest make sure to firstly enable "Use rectangular radar indicator", disable "Target cycles switching of aircraft radar" in the settings and set up keybinds for "Horizontal Radar/IRST target cue control axis" and "Vertical Radar/IRST target cue control axis". By doing all of this you have now full control over your radar which will allow you to maximize your potential. Once taken off, make sure to either have TWS or TWS HDN as selected radar mode, this will allow you to see in third person where the selected (not radar locked) target is and where it is heading. Change the scope scale to 100 km to be able to see where the flock of enemies is going, and with that information adjust your trajectory into a flank. Your goal here is to pick off individual high-flying targets, so with use of your horizontal and vertical cue control go over incoming radar pings and sort out which target is most likely to remain at high altitude. Start flanking the target and getting closer to it. When at a range of 15-20 km, lock on to the target and fire away your radar-guided missile. The enemy will not have enough time to break the radar lock and will get destroyed by the fast incoming R-27R/ER. If the targets are getting below 10 km range, prepare yourself to swap into HMD PD (within visual range combat radar mode). This will allow you to make use of the helmet-mounted display to lock on to any target you look at. This will allow you to lock on to jets who are not near the ground, and once the missile is fired away the target will have little chance evading it. When fired below 3 km, the enemies might be able to evade/dodge the missile due to the sheer launch speed it has.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • High top speed, with enough engine power to reach that top speed even when near sea level
  • Good manoeuvrability at low to medium speed
  • Effective gun with suitable ammunition load and lethal effect on air targets
  • Good radar system able to use Pulse-Doppler and Track-While-Scan to search for targets
  • Good radar-guided missiles, particularly the R-27ER
  • Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) sights allows more flexibility with both radar and IRST to target enemy planes off the MiG-29's nose
  • Has IRST to search and track enemies, as well as slave IR weaponry, without alerting their Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)

Cons:

  • Manoeuvrability drops at higher speed due to pilot pulling more G's, which can make it difficult to turn quickly without G-LOCing the pilot, such as evading a radar missile fired at close range
  • Underperforming IR missiles
  • Radar mechanics may have larger margin of error against very long-range (greater than 30 km) and very low altitude planes, even if enemy are within radar missile's weapon envelope.

History

As proxy wars between the Soviet Union and the USA went on in different battlefields where the latest jets of the era could have been shot down by first generation jets like the MiG-17 (J-5) or the MiG-19 (J-6) in Vietnam, the USAF started their development on the new F-X program to ensure the air superiority in future combats (resulting in the F-15 Eagle). To counter the possible superiority of the new jet, the Soviet Union also started their Perspektivnyy Frontovoy Istrebitel (lit. "Advanced Frontline Fighter"), a program for an equivalent to the F-X in 1969. But after some development between Soviet firms TsAGI and Sukhoi, since the need for another lightweight jet to counter USAF's Lightweight Fighter program and its resulting product F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1971 arose, VVS also called for an Perspektivnyy Lyogkiy Frontovoy Istrebitel (lit. "Advanced Lightweight Frontline Fighter") where the new jets would become the cornerstones at a 1:2 ratio. After the intensive developments in 1970s, Sukhoi came up with the famous Su-27 Flanker while Mikoyan came with the other famous jet in Warsaw Pact service: the MiG-29 Fulcrum.

Compared to its Sukhoi rival, the MiG-29 traded the advanced flight control system and range of Flankers (until the introduction of the MiG-29S and MiG-29SMT with additional fuel tanks) with its infamous agility over NATO jets. When they were first publicly shown in different occasions through the 1980s, they had already become the new export fighter of choice for Warsaw Pact countries and allied customers over most continents of this planet such as Peru, Libya, Eritrea, India etc. Most of the MiG-29s didn't join conflicts during the Cold War aside from Iraqi ones, where they had to fight Iranian jet fighters, then later the coalition of NATO forces. These jets were then seen in many conflicts up to this date, sometimes even facing other Soviet jets, including the MiG-29's "higher-end" rival: the Su-27 (Eritrea vs. Ethiopia).

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Related development

External links


Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (Микоя́н и Гуре́вич Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Fighters  MiG-3-15 · MiG-3-15 (BK) · MiG-3-34
  I-225
Jet fighters  MiG-9 · MiG-9 (l)
  MiG-15 · MiG-15bis · MiG-15bis ISh
  MiG-17
  MiG-19PT
  MiG-21F-13 · MiG-21PFM · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-21SMT · MiG-21bis
  MiG-23M · MiG-23ML · MiG-23MLD
  MiG-27M · MiG-27K
  MiG-29 · MiG-29SMT
Export/Licensed  ␗MiG-9 · ␗MiG-9 (l)
  ◊MiG-15bis · ◔MiG-15bis · J-2*
  MiG-17AS · ◔MiG-17PF · J-4* · Shenyang F-5*
  ◊MiG-19S · J-6A*
  ◄MiG-21 SPS-K · ◊MiG-21MF · ◔MiG-21MF · ▄MiG-21bis · ◔MiG-21bis-SAU · ◊MiG-21bis-SAU · ◊MiG-21 "Lazur-M" · ▄MiG-21 Bison · J-7II**
  ◊MiG-23BN · ◊MiG-23MF · ◔MiG-23MF · ◊MiG-23MLA
  ◔MiG-29 · ◊MiG-29 · ◄MiG-29G
  *Licensed and domesticated with Chinese designations.
  **Unlicensed, reverse-engineered and domesticated with Chinese designations.
See Also  Shenyang · Chengdu

USSR jet aircraft
Bereznyak-Isayev  BI
Yakovlev  Yak-15 · Yak-15P · Yak-17 · Yak-23 · Yak-28B · Yak-30D · Yak-38 · Yak-38M · Yak-141
Mikoyan-Gurevich  MiG-9 · MiG-9 (l) · MiG-15 · MiG-15bis · MiG-15bis ISh · MiG-17 · MiG-17AS · MiG-19PT
  MiG-21F-13 · MiG-21PFM · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-21SMT · MiG-21bis
  MiG-23M · MiG-23ML · MiG-23MLD · MiG-27M · MiG-27K
  MiG-29 · MiG-29SMT
Lavochkin  La-174 · La-15 · La-200
Sukhoi  Su-9 · Su-11
  Su-7B · Su-7BKL · Su-7BMK · Su-17M2 · Su-17M4 · Su-22M3
  Su-24M
  Su-25 · Su-25BM · Su-25K · Su-25T · Su-25SM3 · Su-39
  Su-27 · Su-27SM
  Su-34
Ilyushin  IL-28 · IL-28Sh
Tupolev  Tu-14T