Designed to a 1972 requirement intended to replace the MiG-21, MiG-23, Su-15 and Su-17 with the Soviet air force, the MiG-29, originally revealed in a US satellite photograph and designated 'Ram-L', made its first flight on 6 October 1977. After many design changes the first deliveries of 'Fulcrum As' were made to Soviet Frontal Aviation in 1983 and the type was declared operational early in 1985.

The first hard information became available when the aircraft was examined by Western authorities during an exchange visit to Finland by a MiG-29 unit in 1986. Configured similarly to its F/A-18 Hornet rival, the supersonic and extremely agile MiG-29 has a highly swept (45°) low-mounted wing above twin reheated turbofan engines buried in the fuselage but under the wing. The tail-plane has two vertical and two horizontal stabilisers. A conventional landing gear has twin steerable nosewheels and large single low-pressure mainwheels.

More than 600 MiG-29s are now in service with the former Soviet forces, and the type has been exported to Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany (now serving with the Luftwaffe), Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Syria, Yugoslavia and India, where the type is licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics for the air force as the Baez (Eagle).

3-View

A three-view drawing (1687 x 1300)