FULCRUM / MIG-29

This airplane is equipped with the N-019E SLOTBACK look-down shoot-down radar. The airplane is also equipped with the SPO-15 RWR system, capable of detecting the F-16 out to 23 – 25nm. away, and a passive IRST that is capable of detecting MIL power targets out to about 12nm. in the rear quarter. The onboard self-defensive suite consists of CMDS only.

The MiG-29's wings are swept-back and tapered with square tips. Leading Edge Root Extensions (LERXs) are wide and
curved down to the front. LERX begins on the nose below the mid-mount point, and the wings’ trailing edges end at a high-mounted point. Twin jet engines are mounted low and to the sides of the fuselage. Diagonal-shaped air intakes give a
box-like appearance. There are large exhausts. The fuselage is made of a long, thin, slender body with long, pointed drooping nose. There is a high-mounted bubble canopy. The tail fins have sharply tapered leading edges, canted outward with angular, cutoff tips. Flats are high-mounted on the fuselage, movable, sweptback, and tapered with a negative slant.

Variants

MiG-29 FULCRUM-A Initial production version; entered service in 1983.
MiG-29S-13 FULCRUM-C MiG-29 variant similar to the Fulcrum-A but with an enlarged fuselage spine containing additional fuel and a Gardeniya active jammer.

Airframe

Length - 57'
Wingspan – 37' 3”
Height – 15' 6”
Wing Area – 409 ft2
Empty Weight – 24255 lb
Combat Weight – 43000 lb
Max Takeoff Weight – 46300 lbs
Wing Loading – 90.5 lb/ft2
Power Plant
- 2× Klimov RD-33K afterburning turbofans
- 18300 lb wet thrust
- 11100 lb dry thrust

Aerodynamic Handling

The MiG-29 possesses excellent slow speed handling qualities and is capable of better turn and high AOA performance than the F-
16 below 250 knots. Acceleration at low speeds is quick due to the high thrust of the RD-33 engines, and the aircraft is more than a match for the F-16 in the slow speed regime.

Turn / Dogfight Capabilities

Instantaneous Turn – 21 deg/sec
Sustained Turn – 15 deg/sec
Max AOA – 30 degs
Max-G
- Above M0.85 - +7.5/-2.15
- Below M0.85 - +9.0/-2.25
Vertical - High
Horizontal - Very High
Trust Rate Ratio: TBD

Combat Radius

A MiG-29 Fulcrum-A carrying a centerline fuel tank will need 400kg of fuel for startup, taxi and takeoff, 500kg for a engagement (including one minute of afterburner) and will usually need to have 1,000kg reserve for the return to base. This will leave 2,500kg of fuel for operations: enough to travel 408nm at Mach .8 at 40,000ft with five minutes loiter time. Or to put it another way, at the optimal range profile (Mach 0.8, 13,000 m) assuming expenditures of fuel for startup, taxi, and climb to 13,000 ft at roughly 1180kg, the MiG is left with 2100kg for flight. Assuming that the top of descent is made roughly 100km out and at idle power, the maximum range of the MiG-29 (at Mach 0.8) is roughly 1450km. With the centerline tank that becomes 2090km

Combat Radius - 400nm
Ferry Radius - 1130nm

Avionics - Radar

This airplane is equipped with the N-019E SLOTBACK look-down shoot-down radar. This radar is more hardened against ECM and
less susceptible to notching, and the airplane is also equipped with an internal jammer and CMDS. Able to track 10 targets simultaneously. Range 60 NM.

The N019 radar weighs around 849lbs in total. It is a pulse-doppler radar operating in X band around 3cm wavelength. It uses
three basic operating regimes. High PRF radar mode for optimal detection of closing targets, medium PRF mode for optimal detection of receding targets, and an interleaved high/medium PRF mode for all aspect detection. It uses a guard channel for sidelobe suppression. SARH Illumination and main channels use different frequencies within the X band, and are multiplexed in time. Individual aircraft can be preset on the ground to different frequencies to avoid mutual interference during group operations.

Scanning cycle times are 2.5-5 seconds depending on mode. Beam width is 3.5º, which determines the minimum separation of two targets in azimuth. The radar beam is stabilized up to 120º in roll and +40º/-30º in pitch.

Radar Modes

V – Encounter. Encounter mode is the main search mode used in interception, as it gives the longest detection ranges and the
least false returns. It uses a High PRF mode which can detect closing targets only in the velocity range of 230 - 2500km/h at altitudes from 30m to 23,000m. The display is calibrated to a maximum range of 150km. Target can be up to 10,000m above or 6,000m below the host aircraft's own altitude. A typical 3m2 RCS fighter target can be detected at 50-70 km and tracked at 40-60 km. If the target is flying below 3,000m reduces the detection range to 40-70 km and tracking range to 30-60km.

When the system is under direct GCI control via datalink, a 6-bar elevation raster scan is used. This scan covers a sector
of 40° in azimuth at ranges up to 30km, 30° at ranges of 30-55 km, and 20° above 55km within the scan limits given above. The distance to target and other useful information is supplied by GCI command, and the direction of the scan is automatically cued by CGI command towards the desired target.

When the system is not under direct GCI control via datalink, a 4-bar raster scan mode is used to acquire a target manually. This mode scans a constant 50° in azimuth, with the pilot controlling the direction of the scan. It is expected that the rough direction to the target will be given by ground control via voice commands.

Air to Air Armament

Aircraft

IR WVR Missiles

Semi-Active

Radar Homing

IR BVR Missiles

Semi-Active

Radar (BVR)

Active Radar (BVR)

MIG-29

AA-8, AA-11

AA-10