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A number of recent reports have suggested that the Ukrainian Air Force is now flying a colorfully painted MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jet formerly flown by the country’s aerobatic display team on combat missions against Russia. Inspired by the appearance of a MiG-29 wearing a color scheme similar to that used by the now-defunct Ukrainian Falcons team, these accounts claim that at least one of the famous unit’s jets has been returned to service, helping meet an urgent demand for fighters. The truth is a little more complex, as serving Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 pilot ‘Juice’ explained to The War Zone....

Ukraine has been asking for more fighters since the war started, but the US refused to support a deal that could have seen Poland supply 28 MiG-29s, a Russian-made jet of the type its remaining pilots are used to flying. Washington was concerned that supplying fighter jets could be deemed escalatory by a nuclear-armed Russia. Despite the refusals, Ukraine continues to press its case, and overnight its air force tweeted “the greatest need is for fighter jets” and asked specifically for F-15s and F-16s, whose original designs date back to the 1960s and 1970s, which it said its pilots could...

An American who owns a MiG-29 isn't sure the fighter jets will help Ukraine much Alex Seitz-Wald WASHINGTON — Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and astronaut, may be the only American individual to own a MiG-29 — the Russian-built fighter jet line that has become the center of an international diplomatic conundrum in the global effort to aid Ukraine. And as one of only a tiny handful of Americans to have ever flown the high-performance Soviet-era jet, he doesn't think they’d be very useful to Ukraine. Isaacman, who made his fortune with a payment processing company he founded as a teen,...

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Sunday questioned why the U.S. rejected Poland’s proposal to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany, saying “I don’t understand why we’re not doing it.” Asked by co-anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he is worried that Poland giving planes to Ukraine could trigger World War III, Portman said “I don't know why that would be true.”

I JUST got off a call with President Zelensky’s Chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. Somewhere in the bureaucratic chain between our White House & the Polish Gov., the desperately NEEDED jets are not yet delivered to Ukraine. Public outcry may find the bottleneck. pic.twitter.com/jFfRQTuT1K — Sean Penn (@SeanPenn) March 9, 2022 Secretary of State Sean Penn is coordinating with Zelensky’s chief of staff.

Poland has made its fleet of MIG-29 jets available “immediately and free of charge”, despite calling the move “fake news” just two days ago.

The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America. At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes. The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the...

The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America. At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes. The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the...

U.S. Africa Command says that at least two MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, possibly piloted by shadowy Russian mercenaries, have crashed in Libya. Jared Szuba, the Pentagon correspondent for AI-Monitor, Tweeted out that one of the jets was apparently lost on June 28, while the other went down on September 7, 2020. This information had come in a statement from Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) director of intelligence. Another tweet indicates that Berg believes that "Russian fighter aircraft," presumably MiG-29s too, but potentially also Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft, have conducted airstrikes in Libya. AI-Monitor's Szuba follows that up...

A recent digital ad for President Trump’s reelection campaign calling for the public to “support our troops” reportedly used a stock image of Russian-made fighter jets and weapons, Politico reported Monday, citing experts who identified the image. “That’s definitely a MiG-29,” Pierre Sprey, who helped design both the F-16 and A-10 planes for the U.S. Air Force, told Politico regarding the photo in the ad. “I’m glad to see it’s supporting our troops.” Ruslan Pukhov of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow also confirmed to Politico that the planes are Russian MiG-29s and said the soldier...

The warplanes, a mix of at least 14 MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 fighter-bombers, appear to have taken off from a base in Russia sometime in the middle of May and flown to Hmeimeem, Russia’s airbase on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. There they were repainted, their Russian Federation Air Force markings obscured, before flying more than 1,200 miles and landing in eastern Libya, in territories controlled by Russia’s ally, strongman-in-waiting Khalifa Haftar. The deployment, which the Pentagon revealed last week and Moscow denied, is the latest in a series of escalations that have seen all types of weapons — Turkish and Emirati...

Not a fair fight. Key point: It would be much smarter for Iran to use asymmetric means to take on the United States instead of challenging America in the air. With the United States withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, a war with Tehran seems to be a distinct possibility. In the event of a military conflict between Washington and Tehran, there is also the ever growing possibility that the White House might seek regime change in Iran. A full-scale military campaign against Iran would require the United States to destroy the Iranian air...

Facing a steady decline in available fighter jets, the Indian Air Force is now reportedly in talks to buy 21 unfinished Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrums from Russia and have them completed in a modernized configuration. The proposed deal comes as India continues to struggle with a host of other fighter jet procurement efforts, most notably a more than decade long effort to purchase of more than a hundred new fighter jets, which is now effectively in its third incarnation. The Times of India was first to report on the possible acquisition of the MiG-29 hulks, which date to the late 1980s...

Israeli Military Industries Systems, or IMI Systems, in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries, abbreviated IAI, is close to finishing development of a new air-launched, precision-guided, high-speed weapon called Rampage that can hit targets more than 90 miles away. The announcement comes as Israel steps up its cross-border campaign against Iran and its interests in neighboring Syria, which has seen an increasing emphasis on stand-off capabilities given the complex air defense environment in that country, but the weapon could also be especially attractive to a number of foreign military forces. The two Israeli state-run companies officially unveiled the new weapon in...

Some Bulgarian air force pilots have refused to fly their Soviet-built MiG-29 jets in planned training exercises, citing safety concerns with the outdated aircraft. "Some of the pilots from Graf Ignatievo air base will not perform training flights because of insecurity," Bulgarian Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov said on October 24. The pilots have also cited concerns about poor preparedness due to a lack of flying hours, Zapryanov said, but he insisted that the jets are fully airworthy. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004, but much of its military equipment is still Russian-made. Out of a fleet of 16, Bulgaria's air...

© Bogdan Rudenko/Russian Defense Ministry MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-29 multirole frontline fighter jet took to the skies forty years ago, on October 6, 1977. History, designing The development of fourth-generation fighter jets started in the Soviet Union and in the United States in the late 1960s. As compared to their predecessors, the Soviet MiG-23, the US F-5 Tiger and the French Mirage F.1, the new-generation planes were intended to become multifunctional (i.e. to be able to destroy targets both in the air and on the ground), show increased maneuverability and spend less fuel,...

Photo Credit Dmitri TEREKHOV Today was the first appearance of en egyptian Mig29/35. The picture showing the Mig in sand colors with the egyptian markings and 811 as a serial number, was taken in Jukhovsky airbase south of Moscow. Egypt ordered 42 Mig29/35 the first deliveries are expected on Q2 2017. Stay tuned for more pictures tomorrow April 1st

Famous Russian aircraft designer, co-creator of the MiG-29 fighter jet Ivan Mikoyan has died aged 89, Russian Rossiya-24 TV channel reports. "All his life Ivan Mikoyan worked at the design bureau founded by his uncle, Artem Mikoyan, in 1939. He was a leading engineer and deputy chief designer," a statement published by the "Zvezda" TV channel said. Ivan Mikoyan was born on September 1, 1927, in the USSR. His father, Anastas Mikoyan (1895-1978) was a government figure, while his uncle, Anastas’ brother Artem Mikoyan (1905-1970), was the first general designer of the experimental design bureau MiG. Ivan graduated from a...

Syrian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) fighter jets are performing sorties with medium-range air-to-air missiles of the R-77 (AA-12 Adder) family. Syrian Radio & TV Agency has broadcasted a video showing the attaching of an air-launched weapon of this type to a MiG-29 plane. The video shows a R-77-family missile (most probably, an export version of the missile, i.e. RVV-SD) being carried by an under-wing AKU-170E ejection unit of a MiG-29 plane. The video has confirmed media reports that Russia repaired and upgraded several Syrian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets. According to data of public sources, the...

MOSCOW --- The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) fighter jets to be exported to Egypt will be fitted out with advanced infrared search-and-track (IRST) stations and electronic warfare (EW) pods, according to the Izvestia daily. According to representatives of the defense contractors taking part in executing the contract, Egypt’s MiG-29s will feature the latest OLS-UE IRST capable of not only detecting enemy aircraft by their infrared signature, but also acquiring surface threats, getting their coordinates and showing the imagery on a display in the cockpit. In addition to the IRST, the MiG-29s ordered by Egypt will be equipped with...