Ukraine’s Air Force claims that a country’s MiG-29 fighter shot down five Russian suicide drones before crashing due to technical problems. Moscow has not yet commented on the information.
“The MiG-29 fighter crashed to the ground while on a mission to intercept the suicide drone (UAV) Shahed-136 in Vinnytsia on the evening of October 12. The pilot ejected the seat to escape safely”, the Ukrainian Air Force said. know on October 14, 2022.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that before the crash, the MiG-29 shot down a total of 7 targets, including two cruise missiles on October 11 and five suicide UAVs on October 12. (Image of the tail wing of the crashed Ukrainian MiG-29).
After the plane had an unidentified technical problem, the pilot tried to steer the fighter away from a residential area in the city of Vinnytsia, central Ukraine and then parachuted to escape. The Ukrainian Air Force is investigating the cause of the incident.
In the video shared on social networks earlier, an unknown Ukrainian fighter jet launched a missile toward a target in the sky of Vinnytsia. It is not clear if this was the downed MiG-29 and whether the missile hit the target. Russia has not yet commented on this information.
Before the war broke out, the Ukrainian Air Force owned 51 MiG-29 light fighters, which they inherited from the Soviet Union.
Many of these MiG-29s are no longer operational, destroyed by Russia in air strikes on the airfield or shot down in air battles.
However, a number of Eastern European countries have provided components for Ukraine to restore combat capacity to the MiG-29 fleet.
The MiG-29 is a fourth-generation light fighter developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and entered service in 1982.
Released at the same time as the Su-27 as a light fighter directly competing with the US F-16, the future of the MiG-29 is not as bright as the Su-27 at present.
While the Su-27 and upgraded variants such as the Su-30/35 are constantly sold out, the MiG-29 and the upgraded MiG-35 variant are quite sluggish in the export market.
MiG-29 is equipped with 2 Klimov RD-33 engines, thrust 81.4 kN each, but this engine is said to be inefficient with low durability and high operating costs.
MiG-29 fighters have a maximum speed of 2,400 km / h, and a ceiling of 18 km, but they have a relatively short flight range of less than 1,000 km, while the F-16 is 1,300 km.
In terms of armament, the MiG-29 is equipped with a 30mm GST-30 cannon with 150 rounds of ammunition.
The MiG-29 can carry a weapon weight of 3,500 kg including 6 AA-8 Aphid, AA-10 Alamo, AA-11 Archer, AA-12 Adder air-to-air missiles, FAB 500-M62, FAB- 1000, TN-100, ECM Pods, S-24, AS-12, AS-14…
Despite being a formidable light fighter, the MiG-29 also has certain weaknesses, including the radar system. The radar of the MiG-29 has a poor display, so the situation is not good.
More than 1,600 MiG-29s were produced by the Soviet Union in 29 years and exported nearly 1,000 units to about 30 countries.
