Mig-29 Fulcrum

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Well after finally getting my computer back and having moved (still in the Free State of Northern California), I have sat down and started write-ups for the F-14 and MiG-29. Before i release these unto the MZML, i want the resident gearheads and editors to look at the write-ups and give editing and corrections so the write-ups look proper when i post them on the MZML, These will not have the game stats, i will add those at later dates.

This is for the MiG-29, please only reply if you have editing or correcting. I want to avoid adding more to these write-ups then what is needed, these are long enough as they stand. I tried to be accurate as i could, but with what i have at my disposal, its hard to make sure i get accurate results. Arigato for those that can help.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Tochka Opori “Fulcrumâ€

The MiG-29 is one of the last of the Cold War aircraft. Developed to be on par with the then unknown F-15, the winner of the FX competition. The MiG-29 is designed to be able to fly in any environment and be able to attack targets even with full music (ECM) singing. When the Cold War began the then new NATO needed a way to ID enemy aircraft, so they decided to do what was done in WWII in the Pacific, code name the enemy fighters, but use a system then just giving each aircraft a name. Planes with F meant a fighter, B meant bombers, etc. The MiG-29 is known as the Fulcrum. Its Russian name is Tochka Opori. However the Russian pilots are using the NATO designation as well, they found it flattering.

Stats to be posted here

Its 1969, the Cold War is still going, the Soviets have learned that the USAF is having a FX competition. The Soviets launch their own, to have an aircraft to defeat this new unknown winner. It was called the PFI (Perspektivnyi Frontovoi Istrebitel, trans. Advanced Tactical Fighter). The Russian aerodynamics institute, TsAGI and Sukhoi were chosen to work on this. By 1971 it was apparent that the program by itself may become too expensive. Rumors also say that MiG had a hand in this, possibly since their long time rival Sukhoi was part of this. It was then split into 2 parts (many point out the similar parallel this has to the F-16 and YF-17). One was for a light PFI, this was handled by MiG. The other was for a heavy PFI that was handed by Sukhoi.

A rather interesting fact about the MiG-29. The basic design had been already figured out by the TsAGI and Sukhoi. It was sent to Mikoyan (now MAPO-MiG) to share in prototype development. With the restraints set by TsAGI, Mikoyan could make very few changes, preserving the Sukhoi characteristics while adding in Mikoyan character.

The West learned of the first MiG-29 prototype in November of 1977, by the time honored tradition of satellite photography. It was designated RAM-L. The Fulcrum entered production in 1982 and was delivered to the line in 1983. NATO code-named the new fighter the Fulcrum. Since entering production the Fulcrum has been modified, with many variants and upgrade kits being manufactured. The Soviets at one point were painting the top of the MiG-29M prototypes to resemble the Fulcrum-A variants (to fool those using satellite photography). The first look at the Fulcrum happened in Finland in 1986 as part of a goodwill tour. To prevent the West from learning much, as the Soviets figured every intelligence agency of the West will have their agents there within a few hours. They had several components removed to keep the West guessing.

Upgrades for the Fulcrum were fast and furious. As soon as something was available or something compromised it was fixed. The Fulcrum is one the planes with the most variants. One major change was radar, the original radar was compromised when the designer passed on the designs to the CIA. Another major change was the Fulcrum-C. The large bulge on the centerline spine led to the planes being called ‘humpbacks.’ There was a question as was this a modified fuel tank; actually it was more for the new ECM equipment. The MiG-29 has been through 14 variants several not used, many were testbeds, such as the Fulcrum-K, the naval version (never entered production, losing to Sukhoi). The current Fulcrum now being marketed is the MiG-29M. The current upgrade kits being marketed, these makes the Fulcrum-A’s into MiG-S, exports are known as MiG-SE (the ones in the Russia Air Force are known as MiG-SMT).

With the fall of Russia and end of the Cold War, Mikoyan had been losing its export business to Sukhoi. This forced Mikoyan to merge with MAPO, a helicopter company, this formed MAPO-MiG (should be MIG-MAPO, but that’s another story). The fall of Russia also allowed Germany to be unified. Within the East German Luftwaffe was Fulcrum-A’s. Well its time for Western pilots to learn more about these crafts and how to face off against them. According to what was heard at the 1994 Farnborough Air Show was the MiG-29 had won BVR duels. There is question of the accuracy of these claims. The duels being fought were more for educating pilots then dogfight scenarios. So in an actual dogfight the results may be very different.

As with any plane, it’s only as good as the one behind the stick. You can design the greatest plane ever, but if you have an average pilot flying it, it does the plane a grave injustice. That seems to be the problem with the Fulcrum, its combat record. In its service span it has no confirmed victories in combat. Possibly the only confirmed kill was during the Gulf War, but that confirmed kill was the MiG-23 that was the Fulcrum’s wingman. It is believed they were flying with the IFF off and when the missile had locked on to the MiG-23 instead of the F-15E’s that the Fulcrum pilot launched the missile and it hit the MiG-23. The estimated number of Fulcrums lost to enemy fire is at least 22. But since these combat records are from countries of Fulcrum exports, many argue these countries cannot afford to keep the Fulcrum in top condition and properly train pilots to take on enemy forces. The FAS (Federation of American Scientists) maintain that in a one to one battle the Fulcrum would be able to outdo the Eagles (F-15) and Falcons (F-16).

With its less then stellar record, MAPO-MiG denies any craft lost in combat. As in the case of the Gulf War, they claim the planes were destroyed on the ground and never had a chance to engage. However Fulcrums were seen in several combat engagements, including one were it destroyed his wingman then flew into the ground.

Since its introduction into the Russian Air Force, the US has been interested in attaining one, even more wanting one, with the introduction of the humpbacks. Well finally the US got its wish. In 1998 the Republic of Moldova put their Fulcrums (capable of carrying nuclear weapons) for auction. When Iran expressed interest the US stepped in. While Iran already had Fulcrums, they only had the Fulcrum-A. Of the Fulcrums up for sale 14 of the 21 were Fulcrum-C’s. Included in this purchase was spare parts and 507 missiles.

Today the future of the Fulcrum is in doubt, many countries using the Fulcrum has given up on them, moving to earlier MiG planes, Sukhoi and American fighters. With the current Russian economy no new Fulcrums have been commissioned and export sales have dried up. MAPO-MiG is hoping when the next gen fighter sales are allowed they can pick up some sales.

The Fulcrum came into existence during the last part of the Cold War. She was much like a part of a dying breed of planes, planes designed with the purpose of destroying a belief, a way of life and an entire culture.

Macross Zero

The Fulcrum makes an appearance in Macross Zero in the first and last episode. In the first episode we get the best looks at the Fulcrum. In the last episode they zip by in the dogfight scenes and there are hardly any good looks. As with the Tomcat, it’s not a real world Fulcrum. According the experts on MacrossWorld, its missing several features that makes it a Fulcrum other then its look. But the closest it resembles is a Fulcrum-A, the first generation Fulcrum. Rather strange that it would be a first gen. Fulcrum and not a later variant. Maybe they thought all Fulcrums are the same or this was the only model they could get. Who knows, until Kawamori is asked we’ll never know. So the Fulcrum in this write-up was going according the info that could be attained for the Fulcrum-A: MiG-29B (Variant 1, Model 9-12). About the only thing that can be wrong is the addition of the R-77 (NATO code AA-12, ADDERS) which probably could not be used by the first gen. Fulcrum, but I’m not even sure about that, so they were added for a sense of completeness and since the Tomcat got the Slammer and the 9X Sidewinders, might as well level the playing field.

Weapons

Like any fighter, the Fulcrum carries a myriad of weapons. For this write-up the Fulcrum was engaged in dogfighting, so we shall focus on the missile loads it would’ve been carrying. I’m unsure of Russian brevity codes so they are not included.

When the world moved on the jet age, the question of whether or not the dogfight would still be around. With guided missiles and BVR radar would engaging in close range combat be possible. Well the US said no and soon had to eat those words. Your radar can’t look everywhere, so an enemy can sneak up behind you and blow you up without having to use missiles. These lessons were taught to the US in Vietnam. The Russian fighters kept guns and showed the US the folly of thinking the dogfight was gone (the F-4 Phantom had no gun). Even as BVR is stressed in the East and in the West you never know when you might need that gun, after all what’s to protect you when you run out of missiles?

The gun of the Fulcrum is the GSh-30-1. The 30 means its using a 30mm cannon. The 1 probably designates it has one barrel. In early testing of the Fulcrum it was a GSh-30 with 2 barrels, but decided on just the one. With the Fulcrum built for air-to-air engagements, what’s the ammo? Well the only source I found stated HE, but in most air-to-air engagements HEI gives you a better success ratio, after all lighting up the fuel is always fun. I used HEI, if you want to go with the published source its HE.

The GSh-30 does have one little secret however. In the front of the Fulcrum offset to the right (left if you were facing it) is a small eye looking thing. That’s the Fulcrum IRST unit. While it does not have the range of the Tomcats, it does have one special function. It also works like a range finder. This gives the Fulcrum the power of autocannon fire. When the GSh-30 is set to auto, when the IRST gets a target into range and determines the best shot, it fires a 5-10 round burst, it has 80% probability of destruction of target.

While the strategy of a dogfight missile wasn’t as clear to Russian pilots as they are with US pilots, there are dogfight missiles for Soviets pilots. The first is the R-60M. Known with the NATO code AA-8 (air-to-air) APHID. It is a rather small missile, compared to Western missiles, it’s a pint sized package, but with the right plane it can do a neat little trick In air-to-air missile engagements you need to line up with the target, that is determined by the sensing range of the your radar, its usually a cone that gives you a good area, but the Soviets went a set forward with their planes. While the West was just starting to get the idea of a helmet targeting system, the Russians already had it. The APHID can use this system. In game terms the APHID has a 180 degree firing area (well probably not in real life, but this is anime were talking about), rather then the old line up and fire. Speed: Mach 2+

The medium range missile for the Fulcrum arsenal is the R-27 (NATO code: AA-10 ALAMO). The Alamo is interesting missile. The Soviets were fond of making modular missiles in a sense, so semi-active radar homing (R-27R) and infared homing (R-27T) variants exist. However in 1990 the ALAMO received and upgrade in range to 130 km, giving it long range capabilities (R-27ER and R-27ET respectively for the warhead selection). The write-up can support both variants. This missile also can use the helmet sighting system as well. Speed: Mach 4

The R-60 was destined to be replaced. But with stockpiles, might as well use them with its successor. The R-73M, now the R-74EM (NATO code: AA-11 ARCHER) is that successor. This dogfight missile seems to scare the West. It is viewed as a Sidewinder on steroids. Being linked to the helmet targeting system and its ability to be installed on older fighters made it a missile to be feared. It was this missile that led to the development of the AIM-9X and the AIM-132 ASRAAM. With ECCM and an ability to engage almost any target including cruise missiles with a 12g+ maneuverability to boot, the missile has shown itself to be a pilots nightmare. A interesting note to point out is while the missile uses fire and forget, it’s a heat seeker. What makes this interesting is most fire and forget missiles are radar guided and with it being a heat seeker means it can probably lock onto the exhaust of missiles and destroy them. Speed: Mach 2.5

The Cold War represented an arms race. We had a new fighter, they had a new fighter, we had new missiles and they would follow. Well once again we were matched, with the advent of the Slammer, the Russians countered. They created the R-77RVV-AE (NATO code: AA-12 ADDER). It is very similar to the Slammer and has a nickname the AMRAAMski. However is not up to the Slammer all the way. It may have a longer range (no longer now according to the work done on the AIM-120C-7) and a bigger warhead, it suffers from drag due to its larger load and fins. The Russians could not make hydraulic actuators small and reliable enough, so they used ‘potatoe masher’ fins to get the missile to move in the direction it needs to go into. However the missile designers believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks (they spend 3 years to come up with this system). The density of the grid allows for it to fly in relative wind and have better maneuverability due to less weight and size. It can be used for a myriad of purposes including the shooting down of missiles, in fact it was developed to if need be the shoot down medium and long range missiles, like the Slammer, the Phoenix and the Patriot. Like the Slammer it does use HOJ in its design as well as fire and forget principle. It however does not seem to use the helmet targeting system. Unlike the R-74EM, it cannot be used on older aircraft due to its requirements in radar and avionics. In fact most planes in the Russian Air Force cannot use the R-77. Speed: Mach 4+

Other Stuff

The Fulcrum also has a IRST unit like the F-14 however it is not as powerful as the Tomcat’s unit. It’s good to 14km, but is accepted to be accurate to 8km in VMC conditions. If tracking with the laser range finder (part of the IRST) and it lost due to environmental factors (i.e. clouds), it will auto switch to radar tracking. The IRST is also hooked up to the helmet, which explains the shape of the IRST, so it can pivot with the turning of the helmet. Its usually used within 10km for range estimate and use of missiles, so they don’t need to use the radar. On that note, the radar is not hooked up to the helmet; it would interfere with the data hook-up. It too is desgined the same as the Tomcat’s since it is independent to the radar system.

The Fulcrum has also at its disposal chaff and flares, 30 of each is loaded or 60 of one. They are located in line with the vertical tail surfaces above the wing surfaces.

The Fulcrum is truly one of more interesting aircraft out there today. With her host of upgrades despite its failure and lack of market, she has shown how a plane can go from riches to rags. Hopefully her successor the MiG 1.44 will be able to move on to better things and show the world Russia can still produce fighters to always give the Americans a run for their money.

Cruel Angel’s Thesis

Sources

WEBSITES

Fighter Aircraft, MiG-29

http://www.sci.fi/~fta/MiG-29.htm

MacrossWorld

http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/_main_menu.htm

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

FAS

http://www.fas.org/main/home.jsp

BOOKS

The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft

PEOPLE

Several Members of MacrossWorld

Special Thanks to:

David Hingtgen

Knight26

Cruel Angel's Thesis

Edit: ECM in Archer entry should be ECCM

Edited December 8, 2005 by Cruel Angel's Thesis

[Trigger]

The reason for the MiG-29s combat performance isn't so much a result of poor training and poor maintainance, but rather the US was able to learn a great deal about the Fulcrum's performance and traitts from a MiG-29 pilot who defected to Turkey around 1989. He was brought over to the US and briefed a number of USAF, USN and USMC fighter squadrons on the Fulcrum and western aircrews were able to devise tactics that exploited the weaknesses of the MiG-29 while capitalizing on the strengths of their own aircraft. Training with the unified Germany's Air Force (which flew MiG-29s for a short time) also proved valuable to western aircrews.

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Well the Fulcrum hasn't been up against NATO or United States fighter planes all the time, several were brought down by anti-aircraft fire or crashing into the ground (it has happened more then once IIRC). Some of these never involved any clash with NATO or United States fighter planes. While it is true the US has gotten several chances to examine to Fulcrum many times or get hands on something vital about the Fulcrum. We got the radar specs not long after service, there was the defected pilot, training with the German Fulcrums and the accquitsion of Fulcrums from another country. But in the end we have seen limited engagment with the Fulcrum. Its a good thing to mention, but in the overall picture it didn't fit with what i was writing, i may rethink and include this as a side note.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

[Trigger]

You're right. At least one MiG-29 was forced into the ground via manuevering (hey folks, a kill's a kill - it doesn't matter how you do it). I just don't remember if it was that EF-111 or F-15E crew that did that back in 1991.

I just wanted to point out that it wasn't just poor pilot training that has contributed to the Fulcrum's combat record, and that the Fulcrum should still be regarded as a serious threat. Still, your write-up is very well put together.