The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 (NATO code Fulcrum) is a Soviet air supremacy fighter developed in the early 1970s and first flown on October 6, 1977. It entered service with the Soviet Army in 1983 and is still used today by the Russian Air Force and many other countries. More than 1,100 examples have so far been built [When?]. It is the 4th most used combat aircraft in the world in 2012 with, according to an estimate, 856 aircraft in operation or 5% of the world fleet of combat aircraft.
In 1969, during the Cold War, the US Air Force launched the F-15 and F-16 programs, while at the same time, the Soviet aircraft MiG-21, Sukhoi Su-15 and Sukhoi Su-17 were at the end of their on duty. The USSR therefore decided to launch the Su-27 program to counter the F-15 and the F-14. However, the price of this aircraft being too high for it to be used in large numbers, the MiG-29 program was then launched to equip the Soviet Air Force (VVS) with a light air superiority fighter of the new generation, but more rustic. The first prototype, designated 9.01, made its first flight on October 6, 1977. It was followed by around twenty pre-production aircraft before assembly began. The first devices left the assembly lines in 1982.
The United States learned of the existence of this device thanks to one of its spy satellites which passed over the Soviet test center Ramenskoye (in the suburbs of Moscow); they gave the MiG-29 the name "RAM-L", which later became "Fulcrum". It was not until July 1986 that the West was able to see this device more closely, during a visit made by a squadron of Soviet MiG-29s to Finland. It was at this time that the USAF really knew the MiG-29 and was able to differentiate it from the other models of Mikoyan or Sukhoi. It was considered so dangerous by the United States that in 1997 they bought 21 MiG-29s which were to be sold to Iran by Moldova, because they thought they could carry a nuclear bomb.
The MiG-29 is a fighter that can perform turns at high load factors despite the lack of computer-assisted fly-by-wire controls. It would also be the first aircraft to have performed the famous maneuver of Viktor Pugachev's Cobra. It is one of the first Russian aircraft to be equipped with a radar capable of detecting and engaging targets located downwards. It is equipped with turbo-jet engines which replace the turbo-fans previously used on previous generations of Soviet aircraft. But its main flaw is its low autonomy, which confines it mainly to the defense of the territory rather than to attack missions. However, this defect is partly compensated by the fact that it can operate very close to the front line on very roughly landscaped grassy terrain, in accordance with the Soviet doctrine of the time, thanks to its air inlets that can be plugged and its tires at low pressure. Recent variants have given it more versatility by improving its air-to-ground capabilities, making it a true equivalent of the F-16. Combining speed and manoeuvrability, the Fulcrum has been and still is part of several ex-Soviet aerobatic teams, including the Russian strizhi (swift) aerobatic team.
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