Work on the MiG-29K, a carrier-based fighter aircraft, began in the late 1970s when the Soviet Navy required a supersonic aircraft to operate from aircraft-carrying cruisers. To test this concept, the MiG-29KVP prototype with reinforced landing gear and an arrestor hook was built in 1982, proving that the aircraft could take off from a ski jump. The production aircraft was based on the promising MiG-29M (Product 9-15). It received a larger folding wing, a reinforced structure, the multifunctional Zhuk radar, a new cockpit, and an expanded arsenal of guided air-to-surface weapons. The MiG-29K first flew on July 23, 1988. On November 1, 1989, pilot Toktar Aubakirov successfully landed the aircraft on the deck of the heavy aircraft carrier Tbilisi (now Admiral Kuznetsov) for the first time.

After the collapse of the USSR, however, the project was frozen in favor of the Su-33. The program was revived in the 2000s thanks to an order from India, and in late 2009, the Russian Navy placed an order for 24 carrier-based fighters. In February 2012, a contract was signed to deliver 20 single-seat MiG-29KR (product 9-41R) aircraft and four two-seat MiG-29KUB fighters to the Admiral Kuznetsov air group. These aircraft feature Zhuk-ME radars, RD-33MK engines, and corrosion-resistant airframe reinforcement. In October 2016, four MiG-29KR/KUBR aircraft from the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment participated in the deployment of the Admiral Kuznetsov to the Mediterranean Sea and carried out strikes against targets in Syria.

The MiG-29KR (9-41R) was introduced in Update 2.57 "Heavy Cavalry". Compared to its predecessor, the MiG-29M, the aircraft features a larger wing and a new engine with increased thrust. The MiG-29KR can carry Kh-31A/P and TV-guided Kh-29 missiles, enabling it to engage ground targets effectively. For air targets, the MiG-29KR retains the familiar R-77 and R-73 missiles but lacks the R-27 missiles. The aircraft is equally effective in mixed battles against armored vehicles and in air battles as an interceptor.