Analysis : Mig-29 Fulcrum Game changer of Ukrainian Air capacity.

One of the first surprises of Russia's invasion of Ukraine was Moscow's inability to secure the airspace over Ukraine. This failure condemned Russia to years of ground operations. Even today, in the third year of the conflict, Ukrainian airspace remains contested despite Russian air advantages. This partial Ukrainian victory in airspace control is largely due to the MiG-29 (NATO name: Fulcrum).
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Mig-29A Fulcrum alleged visuals of "Ghost of Kyiv" livery  (Picture source: Open Source)

One of the tools Ukraine has relied on to contest its airspace and mitigate the Russian advantage is the Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet. The Ukrainian MiG-29 fleet is not a perfect solution—many airframes are outdated and abandoned—but the Cold War jet has been just good enough. Known to NATO as the Fulcrum, the MiG-29 is a Soviet fourth-generation aircraft. Developed in the 1970s, the MiG-29 is a heavy fighter designed for air superiority missions. The Fulcrum was the Soviet answer to American fourth-generation air superiority fighters like the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Soviets needed to deploy a more competitive aircraft, and the MiG-29 answered the call. The MiG-29 features a mid-mounted swept wing. The leading-edge root extensions, sweeping at 40 degrees, make it visually distinct, and the twin vertical stabilizers are noticeably larger.

Unlike many fourth-generation aircraft, the MiG-29 does not have a fly-by-wire control system. However, it is an agile plane, capable of impressive turn rates and high angles of attack. For propulsion, the MiG-29 relies on two Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofans, capable of providing 11,200 pounds of dry thrust or 18,300 pounds of thrust with afterburner. Like the vertical stabilizers, the engines are widely spaced. The space between the engines increases the rear fuselage area and provides additional lift, which reduces the load on the wing surfaces and actually improves the plane’s maneuverability.

The MiG-29 does not have a large fuel capacity. The jet's six internal tanks consume fuel quickly. Without external fuel tanks, the MiG-29 has an operational range of 930 miles (1,490 km). With the addition of external fuel tanks, the range improves to 1,300 miles (2,090 km).

Naturally, the MiG-29 was equipped with a wide range of weapons to support the air superiority (and later multirole) mission profile. At the port wing root, the MiG-29 is equipped with a GSh-30-1, 20 mm cannon with 100 rounds. Under each wing, the MiG-29 has three pylons that can be used for external fuel tanks, or for missiles, bombs, and rockets.

Of course, the MiG-29 has become obsolete since its initial release in the 1970s. More modern Western fighters like the F-22 or Rafale are significantly more advanced than the MiG-29, and even fourth-generation American fighters like the F-15 and F-16 have been upgraded and are significantly more advanced than the MiG-29. Thus, the MiG-29s that Ukraine has pulled from storage or received from charitable neighbors like Poland and Slovakia are not exactly cutting-edge aircraft, but they have helped maintain some air capacity.

In February 2022, it was estimated that the Ukrainian Air Force had only about 50 MiG-29s in operational condition, all inherited from the Soviet Union. Ukraine has supplemented its MiG-29 force with imports, including about twenty from Poland and ten from Slovakia. The Polish aircraft are in better condition than their Slovak counterparts and come with numerous upgrades that should enhance the aircraft’s effectiveness.

“The Polish aircraft, which Warsaw is replacing with a mix of F-16s and F-35s, come with many upgrades: modern transponders, GPS and radar warning receivers; NATO-type radios; new avionics and cockpit displays and—perhaps most importantly—a MIL STD 1552 digital data bus that should enable the jets to deploy GPS-guided munitions,”

The MiG-29 will be relegated to the bottom of the Ukrainian fighter hierarchy once the American-made F-16s arrive in June or July. Ukraine has been pushing the West for F-16s since the early days of the conflict, and relief is finally on the way. Ukrainian pilots and maintenance crews have already begun training on the F-16, hoping to be effective on the day the aircraft become available.