[myknowledge]

Looks like MiG has lost most of its glory, with the MiG-29 Fulcrum now being a foreign sales bomb.

[2banana]

If they can't be sold, they will simply be scrapped. Algeria, and several other nations, have turned down the MiG-29, which has acquired the reputation of being second rate and a loser.

Gulf war? Israeli wars?

[ontap]

A year or so ago there was a lively conversation o FR about the quality of Russian aircraft. Several argued we should be in awe of them(exaggeration noted). I think this gets us closer to the facts.

[hoagy62]

The easiest way to trash a MiG-29?

Put an AMRAAM up it’s tailpipe!

[SunkenCiv]

The MiG-29 entered Russian service in 1983, as the answer to the American F-16. Some 1,600 MiG-29s have been produced so far, with about 900 of them exported. The 22 ton aircraft is roughly comparable to the F-16, but it depends a lot on which version of either aircraft you are talking about. Russia is making a lot of money upgrading MiG-29s. Not just adding new electronics, but also making the airframe more robust. The MiG-29 was originally rated at 2,500 total flight hours. At that time (early 80s), Russia expected MiG-29s to fly about a hundred or so hours a year. India, for example, flew them at nearly twice that rate, as did Malaysia. So now Russia is offering to spiff up the airframe so that the aircraft can fly up to 4,000 hours, with more life extension upgrades promised. This won't be easy, as the MiG-29 has a history of unreliability and premature breakdowns (both mechanical and electronic).