The Mikoyan MiG-29K (russian: Микоян МиГ-29K;
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
: Fulcrum-D) is a Russian
all-weather carrier-based
Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstand ...
multirole fighter
A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support,
aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defens ...
aircraft developed by the
Mikoyan
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
Design Bureau
OKB is a transliteration of the Russian initials of "" – , meaning 'experiment and design bureau'. During the Soviet era, OKBs were closed institutions working on design and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for military applications. ...
. The MiG-29K was developed in the late 1980s from the
MiG-29M
The Mikoyan MiG-29M (russian: Микоян МиГ-29M; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-E) is a Russian multirole fighter developed in 2005. It is based on unified platform together with Mikoyan MiG-29K. The predecessor of the MiG-29M was designe ...
. Mikoyan describes it as a
4+ generation aircraft.
Production standard MiG-29Ks differ from prototypes in features such as a multi-function radar and several new cockpit displays; the adoption of
HOTAS
HOTAS, an acronym of hands on throttle-and-stick, is the concept of placing buttons and switches on the throttle lever and flight control stick in an aircraft's cockpit. By adopting such an arrangement, pilots are capable of performing all vita ...
(hands-on-throttle-and-stick) controls; the integration of RVV-AE (also known as
R-77
The Vympel NPO R-77 missile (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) is a Russian active radar homing beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. It is also known by its export designation RVV-AE. It is the Russian counterpart to the American AIM-120 AMRA ...
) air-to-air missiles, along with missiles for anti-ship and anti-radar operations; and several ground/strike precision-guided weapons.
The MiG-29K was not ordered into production and only two prototypes were originally built because the
Russian Navy preferred the
Su-27K (later re-designated Su-33) in the early 1990s. Mikoyan did not stop its work on the MiG-29K aircraft despite the lack of financing since 1992. The programme got a boost in the late 1990s to meet an Indian requirement for a ship-borne fighter following the purchase of a former Soviet aircraft carrier, and the MiG-29K was first received by the
Indian Naval Air Arm
The Indian Naval Air Arm is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare.
The Flag Off ...
in 2009. The
Russian Navy, with their Su-33s nearing the end of their service lives by 2010, has also ordered the MiG-29K as a replacement.
Development
Origins
The MiG-29K project was initiated in the late 1970s when the
Soviet Navy developed a requirement for a supersonic carrier-based fighter. As a first step to meet this requirement, the Mikoyan design bureau designed a "proof of concept" version of the MiG-29 fitted with a stronger undercarriage and a reinforced tail section with an
arrestor hook
A tailhook, arresting hook, or arrester hook is a device attached to the empennage (rear) of some military fixed-wing aircraft. The hook is used to achieve rapid deceleration during routine landings aboard aircraft carrier flight decks at sea, ...
, the MiG-29KVP (''Korotkii Vzlet i Posadka'', or "short take off and landing").
[Belyakov & Marmain 1994, pp. 446–449.] The KVP first flew on 21 August 1982, and was subject to extensive trials which demonstrated it could safely operate from a ski-jump, but ideally a production aircraft needed more power and greater wing area.
[Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 449.] It was decided to base the definitive naval version on the advanced
MiG-29M
The Mikoyan MiG-29M (russian: Микоян МиГ-29M; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-E) is a Russian multirole fighter developed in 2005. It is based on unified platform together with Mikoyan MiG-29K. The predecessor of the MiG-29M was designe ...
(''izdeliye'' "Product" 9.15) that was already under development, further modified with new undercarriage and folding wings of greater area, with the new model designated the MiG-29K (''Korabelniy'' – "ship based") or Project 9–31.
[Gordon & Davison 2005, p. 40.][Belyakov & Marmain 1994, pp. 449–450.] The MiG-29K differed considerably from the MiG-29 production model, featuring a new multi-function radar, dubbed Zhuk; a cockpit with monochrome display and use of the
HOTAS
HOTAS, an acronym of hands on throttle-and-stick, is the concept of placing buttons and switches on the throttle lever and flight control stick in an aircraft's cockpit. By adopting such an arrangement, pilots are capable of performing all vita ...
(hands-on-throttle-and-stick) principle; the RVV-AE
air-to-air active homing missiles; antiship and antiradar missiles; as well as
air-to-ground
Air-to-ground weaponry is aircraft ordnance used by combat aircraft to attack ground targets. The weapons include bombs, machine guns, autocannons, air-to-surface missiles, rockets, air-launched cruise missiles and grenade launchers.
See also
* ...
precision-guided weapons. To protect the engine from foreign object damage (FOD), the engine inlets were fitted with retractable grills for air flow, rather than metal doors and
leading-edge extension
A leading-edge extension (LEX) is a small extension to an aircraft wing surface, forward of the leading edge. The primary reason for adding an extension is to improve the airflow at high angles of attack and low airspeeds, to improve handling an ...
auxiliary intake louvres used by land-based MiG-29s.
![MiG-29M NTW 7 8 93](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/MiG-29M_NTW_7_8_93.jpg)
The MiG-29Ks first flight was performed on 23 July 1988 at
Saky
Saky (: ; crh, Saq) or Saki is a town of regional significance in Ukraine, in the Crimean peninsula. Although it is the administrative centre of the Saky Raion, it does not belong to the raion (district), serving instead as the center and the on ...
by test pilot
Toktar Aubakirov
Toktar Ongarbayuly Aubakirov ( kk, Тоқтар Оңғарбайұлы Әубәкіров (''Toqtar Oñğarbaiūly Äubäkırov''), russian: Токтар Онгарбаевич Аубакиров, born on 27 July 1946) is a retired Kazakh Air ...
.
[Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 452.] On 1 November 1989, on the same day as the
Sukhoi Su-27K, Aubakirov executed the first carrier landing of MiG-29K on the aircraft-carrying cruiser ''Tbilisi'' (now known as ''
Admiral Kuznetsov''), the first take-off from the carrier's deck was successfully performed the same day. During 1989–1991, the MiG-29K underwent further tests aboard ''Admiral Kuznetsov''. The project was put on hold with the
collapse of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, while the
Russian Navy only pursued the rival Su-33. Mikoyan continued work on the MiG-29K despite the lack of funding.
During its tests aboard ''Admiral Kuznetsov'', the aircraft had a springboard-assisted takeoff from strips and long. According to the results of the tests, the landing accuracy proved to be very high, which made it possible at a later stage to switch over to a three-cable arrester system on ''Admiral Gorshkov''. The landing accuracy is additionally enhanced through the employment of an autothrottle system. The takeoff characteristics allow for most flights to be possible under tropical conditions at a ship speed of .
Revival
![Indian Navy MiG-29K climb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Indian_Navy_MiG-29K_climb.JPG)
The MiG-29K programme was revived in response to the decision of the Indian Navy to acquire the former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier ''
Admiral Gorshkov'' in 2004. When ''Admiral Gorshkov'' was part of the Soviet fleet, it was a hybrid aircraft carrier/cruiser using vertical take-off (V/STOL) aircraft; thus the deck was refurbished with a take-off ramp and arrestor wires for operating MiG-29Ks.
The aircraft has an enlarged and folding wing, an arrestor hook and a corrosion-protected reinforced fuselage.
One factor favouring the MiG-29K over the Su-33 in the Indian decision was the larger size of the Su-33, which further limited the number of aircraft on deck. Modifications were made to the MiG-29K for Indian requirements, including the Zhuk-ME radar, RD-33MK engine, a combat payload up to , 13 weapon stations, and updated 4-channel digital fly-by-wire flight control system. It is compatible with the full range of weapons carried by the
MiG-29M and MiG-29SMT.
The problem of lack of aircraft-carrier based AWACS platform may be tackled by further development of dual-seat MiG-29KUB. It is theoretically possible to outfit the MiG-29KUB with powerful radar, and encrypted data links, to permit networking of multiple MiG-29KUB aircraft for AEW coverage. The MiG-29KUB may also be enhanced in areas such as electronic warfare and long-range interdiction.
The MiG-29KUB two-seat variant took its first flight on 20 January 2007, followed by the MiG-29K on 25 June 2007.
Design
![МАКС-2007-ЗВГ-016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/%D0%9C%D0%90%D0%9A%D0%A1-2007-%D0%97%D0%92%D0%93-016.jpg)
The MiG-29K is drastically modified from the
Mikoyan MiG-29M
The Mikoyan MiG-29M (russian: Микоян МиГ-29M; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-E) is a Russian multirole fighter developed in 2005. It is based on unified platform together with Mikoyan MiG-29K. The predecessor of the MiG-29M was designed ...
for naval operations. The airframe and undercarriage are reinforced to withstand the stress experienced upon landing. Folding wings, an arrestor hook, and catapult attachments were added for carrier operations; the aircraft's undercarriage track was also widened. The MiG-29K, unlike the early MiG-29, can both conduct
aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
and "buddy" refuel other aircraft.
![Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29K (9-31) - 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-29K_%289-31%29_-_1.jpg)
The MiG-29K has two widely spaced RD-33MKs. The early prototypes were fitted with two
RD-33K turbofan engines, each with afterburner thrust of 86.3 kN (19,800 lb) and a possible take-off thrust of 92.2 kN (20,723 lbf) for shipborne operations.
[Williams 2002, p. 128][Gordon & Davison 2005, pp. 46, 92.] The RD-33MK engine features 7% higher power over the base RD-33, enabled by the usage of improved materials for the turbine blades.
Internal fuel was increased from , to give a combat radius of 850 km (531 mi). The combat radius can be increased to with three underwing fuel drop tanks. The maximum weight of the aircraft grew from , to allow for increased payloads.
The MiG-29KUB two-seat fighter, intended for pilot training, can also conduct combat missions identical to the single-seat fighter.
Cockpit and avionics
The aircraft is equipped with three multifunctional color
liquid-crystal display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display
A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipmen ...
s (seven LCDs on the MiG-29KUB), a four-channel digital
fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires, and flight control co ...
flight control system, passive homing system for anti-radar missiles, Sigma-95 GPS receiver, TopGun helmet-mounted targeting system and
electronic countermeasure
An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...
s (ECM). Additionally, an onboard oxygen generating system eliminates the need for heavy oxygen canisters.
The types of combat missions undertaken by the MiG-29K can be increased by adding optronic/infrared imaging reconnaissance pods.
The
Zhuk-ME is a development of the N010 Zhuk radar, introducing functions such as terrain mapping and following. The radar, weighing , features improved signal processing and a detection range of up to vs a 5 m
2 RCS target for the export variant.
In the air targeting mode, up to ten targets can be tracked and four targets engaged simultaneously.
In air to surface mode the radar can detect a tank from up to away and a bridge from away, a naval destroyer could be detected up to away, while up to two surface targets can be tracked at once. The radar has a scanning area of ±85 degrees in azimuth and +56/-40 in elevation.
The
Zhuk-AE radar was developed with modular approach, enabling upgrade of existing Zhuk ME radars deployed in MiG-29 platforms into the
active electronically scanned array
An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...
(AESA) Zhuk-AE standard. India is already operating the
Bars phased array radar on its Su-30MKI and has specified AESA as a critical element of the
MRCA platform. The MiG-29K can be outfitted with an
IRST
An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters.
IR ...
system integrated with both optical and laser systems.
It can provide targeting solutions for ground and air targets at up to , with all-round 360-degree coverage. The IRST can also provide detailed trajectories of missiles at closer ranges.
Weapons and defensive capabilities
![MiG-29K on the MAKS-2009 (02)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/MiG-29K_on_the_MAKS-2009_%2802%29.jpg)
MiG-29K has a
GSh-30-1
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 (also known by the GRAU index designation 9A-4071K) is a 30 mm autocannon designed for use on Soviet and later Russian military aircraft, entering service in the early 1980s. Its current manufacturer is the Rus ...
30 mm cannon in the port wing root. It has provisions for
laser-guided
Laser guidance directs a robotics system to a target position by means of a laser beam. The laser guidance of a robot is accomplished by projecting a laser light, image processing and communication to improve the accuracy of guidance. The key ide ...
and electro-optical bombs, as well as
air-to-surface missile
An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common prop ...
s like Kh-25ML/25MP, Kh-29T, Kh-31G/31A, Kh-35U, and rockets. Kh-31P passive radar seeker missiles are used as
anti-radiation missile
An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be t ...
s. Kh-35, Kh-31A antiship missiles are for anti-ship roles; for aerial combat
air-to-air missile
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
like RVV-AE, R-27ER/ET and R-73E are fitted. The aircraft is also adaptable to various foreign weapons.
The MiG-29K has a combination of low-observable technology, advanced electronic-warfare capabilities, reduced ballistic vulnerability, and standoff weapons to enhance the fighter's survivability.
According to Mikoyan, extensive use of radar-absorbent materials reduce the MiG-29K's radar signature 4–5 times over the basic MiG-29.
The
RD-33MK turbofan engine was also engineered to reduce
infrared signature Infrared signature, as used by defense scientists and the military, is the appearance of objects to infrared sensors. An infrared signature depends on many factors, including the shape and size of the object, temperature, and emissivity, reflection ...
and improve
aircraft camouflage
Aircraft camouflage is the use of camouflage on military aircraft to make them more difficult to see, whether on the ground or in the air. Given the possible backgrounds and lighting conditions, no single scheme works in every situation. A comm ...
.
Operational history
India
In 2004 India ordered 12 MiG-29K single-seat and 4 MiG-29KUB two-seat fighters.
The MiG-29K is to provide both airborne fleet air defence and surface attack capabilities. Deliveries began in December 2009.
Prior to their delivery to India, the MiG-29Ks underwent testing on board . In January 2010, India and Russia signed a deal worth US$1.2 billion for the Indian Navy to receive an additional 29 MiG-29Ks. The MiG-29K entered operational service with India in February 2010. Further deliveries of five MiG-29Ks and a flight simulator took place in May 2011. Further deliveries are to continue through 2012. The fighters were based at in Goa on India's west coast until joined the navy under the name of in last quarter of 2013. ''Vikramaditya'' was expected to carry up to 24 MiG-29K/KUB fighters. The future indigenous aircraft carrier , being built by India, is also likely to carry these aircraft.
Further MiG-29K orders by India were frozen after a MiG-29KUB crashed during testing in Russia prior to delivery to India; the Indian Defence Ministry commented that the crash cast a shadow on the credibility of the aircraft. Russia later announced that pilot error had caused the crash, and there was no need to ground the aircraft. In August 2011, MiG's General Director Sergei Korotkov announced that the final five out of the 16 aircraft contracted in 2004 would be delivered by the end of the year; and that deliveries of a second batch of 29 MiG-29Ks would begin in 2012. In November 2012, the MiG-29K/KUB completed sea trials for the Indian Navy. One problem is that Western and Ukrainian sanctions on Russia have prevented Mikoyan importing components for assembly at the factory, instead they have had to be installed "on the flightline" in India.
In a 2016 report, India's national auditor CAG criticized the aircraft due to defects in engines, airframes and fly-by-wire systems. The serviceability of MiG-29K was reported ranging from 15.93% to 37.63% and that of MiG-29KUB ranging from 21.30% to 47.14%; with 40 engines (62%) being rejected/withdrawn from service due to design defects. These defects are likely to reduce the service life of the aircraft from the stated 6000 hours. However, it was reported that recent efforts made by the two countries have improved serviceability to around 70%. In 2017, the Indian government announced the planned replacement of the MiG-29 with 57 new aircraft, with a competition primarily between the French Dassault Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...
and the American Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more adv ...
.
In December 2018 when addressing the press on the eve of Navy Day CNS Admiral Lanba noted regarding the MiG-29K, "there is no issue on supplies of spare parts from Russia at the moment... The MiG-29K fleet has been performing well now." The Indian Navy plans to deploy the MiG-29K onboard its first domestically built carrier, the INS Vikrant, and will acquire further combat jets with updated capabilities for this purpose. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba announced that issues related to maintenance and availability of spare parts for the MiG-29K fleet, which had previously undermined their readiness, had been resolved.
Russia
The 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Russian Navy has a fleet of 21 Su-33 fighters whose service lives were expected to be reached by 2015. Around 10 to 12 will receive an upgrade including the Gefest SVP-24 The SVP-24 is a navigation system that acts as a computerized bomb sight manufactured by Russian company Gefest & T, that is claimed to provide similar accuracy to guided munitions. It uses the Continually Computed Release Point (CCRP) technology. ...
bombsight for free-fall bombs, giving them a limited ground attack capability, but more aircraft were needed. It was less cost-effective to open the Su-33 production line for a small run than to piggy-back on the Indian Navy's order of MiG-29K's. India paid $730 million for the development and delivery of 16 units, while 24 for the Russian Navy would cost approximately $1 billion.
The Russian Navy ordered 24 MiG-29Ks in late 2009 for ''Admiral Kuznetsov''. Deliveries of the MiG-29K for the Russian Navy started in 2010. MiG and Russia were in final negotiations for an order for more MiG-29K/KUB aircraft in August 2011. An order for 20 MiG-29KR fighter-bombers and four MiG-29KUBR operational trainers for operation from ''Admiral Kuznetsov'', replacing the Sukhoi Su-33
The Sukhoi Su-33 (russian: Сухой Су-33; NATO reporting name: ''Flanker-D'') is an all-weather carrier-based twin-engine air superiority fighter designed by Sukhoi and manufactured by Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association ...
, was officially announced in February 2012. However, in 2015, Major-General Igor Kozhin, the Commander of the Navy's Air and Air Defence Forces, announced that a second fighter regiment would be formed to augment the current force, with the intention that the MiG-29s be used by this new unit, with some existing Su-33s refurbished for further use.
In October 2016, four MiG-29KR/KUBR from the 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment formed part of the air group aboard ''Admiral Kuznetsov'' as the ship deployed with its battle group to the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
as part of the Russian campaign in Syria. On 13 November 2016, a MiG-29KUBR on operations in the Mediterranean crashed en route back to ''Admiral Kuznetsov''.
Variants
;MiG-29K
:Indian single seat variant.
;MiG-29KR
:Russian single seat variant, replaces Ukrainian and Indian equipment with Russian.
;MiG-29KUB
:Indian tandem two-seat operational trainer variant.
;MiG-29KUBR
:Russian tandem two-seat operational trainer variant.
;MiG-29KVP
:(KVP – ''Korotkaya Vzlet Posadka'' – Short take-off landing (STOL)) Several aircraft converted to article 9–12 standard, (or 9–18?), with high-lift systems strengthened undercarriage and arrestor hook, for research into deck landings and pilot training.
Operators
;
* Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
– 45 MiG-29K/KUB aircraft in its inventory. India ordered the fighters within the framework of two contract signing in 2004 and 2010. The last aircraft was delivered in February 2017.
**Indian Naval Air Arm
The Indian Naval Air Arm is the aviation branch and a fighting arm of the Indian Navy which is tasked to provide an aircraft carrier based strike capability, fleet air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare.
The Flag Off ...
*** 300 Indian Naval Air Squadron – , Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
*** 303 Indian Naval Air Squadron – INS ''Hansa'', Goa (embarked in )
;
* Russian Navy – ordered 20 MiG-29KR and 4 MiG-29KUBR in 2012. All the aircraft were delivered by early 2016.
** Russian Naval Aviation
The Russian Naval Aviation ( rus, Авиация Военно-морского флота России, r=Aviatsiya Voenno-morskovo Flota Rossii) is the air arm of the Russian Navy, a successor of Soviet Naval Aviation. The Russian Navy is divide ...
*** 100th Independent Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment – Yeysk (air base), Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of t ...
Accidents
* On 23 June 2011, a MiG-29KUB crashed during testing in Russia, prior to delivery to India, killing its two pilots.
* On 13 November 2016, a MiG-29KUBR crashed in the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
while returning to the aircraft carrier '' Admiral Kuznetsov'' from a mission over Syria. The pilot was reportedly rescued.
* In November 2019, an Indian Navy MiG-29KUB trainer aircraft crashed after engine failure and both pilots ejected safely.
* In February 2020, an Indian Navy MiG-29KUB trainer aircraft crashed and both pilots ejected safely.
* On 26 November 2020, an Indian Navy MiG-29KUB trainer aircraft crashed into sea with one pilot dead.
* On 12 October 2022, an Indian Navy MiG-29K aircraft off INS Hansa crashed off the coast of Goa in the sea and pilot was rescued.
Specifications (MiG-29K - ''Izdeliye'' 9.41)
See also
References
;Notes
;Citations
;Bibliography
* Bangash, M.Y.H. ''Shock, Impact and Explosion: Structural Analysis and Design''. Springer, 2008. .
* Belyakov, R.A. and Marmain, J. ''MiG: Fifty Years of Secret Aircraft Design''. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife, 1994. .
* Conley, Jerome M. ''Indo-Russian military and nuclear cooperation: lessons and options for U.S. policy in South Asia''. Lexington Books, 2001. .
* Day, Jerry. "Hot Hot Hot!" ''Air Classics'', Volume 45, Issue 4, April 2009.
*
*
* Gordon, Yefim and Peter Davison. ''Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2005. .
*
* Gunston, Bill and Yefim Gordon. ''MiG aircraft since 1937''. North Branch, Minnesota: Naval Institute Press, 1998. .
* Lake, Jon. ''Jane's How to Fly and Fight in the Mikoyan MiG-29''. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. .
* Rininger, Tyson V. ''Red Flag: Air Combat for the 21st Century''. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zenith Imprint, 2006. .
*
External links
MiG-29K/KUB page
on Migavia.ru
on Globalsecurity.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikoyan MiG-29K
MiG-029K
Carrier-based aircraft
1990s Soviet and Russian fighter aircraft
Twinjets
Aircraft first flown in 1988
Twin-tail aircraft