The Unrealized Potential of the MiG-29

[@raafdocumentaries]

A bunch of people are asking about the music. The majority of the music is licensed from Epidemic Sound www.epidemicsound.com and sometimes we will create our own incidental music (like a few cues in this video). There are three of us who do production, all musicians, and one of us has scored music for film, so we might create our own incidental music now and then when we have time - but these are not often complete 'pieces', just short cues for a particular spot in the video.

[@trumanhw]

The 1980s music was a beautiful touch. Thanks! Great video.

[@hogey74]

@trumanhw indeed! Thanks for the reminder of a Concorde doco (on YT) with Oxygene playing.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

Super information as always. I recall seeing a Russian general commenting on the Mig 29 - "the Mig 29 programme cost was 30% less than the Su 27 but with half the performance". The engines had a habit of exploding unexpectedly. They are super smoky - a dead giveaway on location. Also you are going to be strapping on a fuel tank to go anywhere. The Mig 29 was meant to protect the airfields and bases. Hence it's short range. I recall seeing it at farnborough when they were there the 1st time in the early 1990s. It was quite the exciting guest.

[@cucuawe465]

@@mrrolandlawrence fun fact, Malaysia MiG-29N aerobatic squadron name is Smokey Bandit

[@carlbillingham2670]

I was at that farnborough air show (1991 I think?) as well, standing next to some American fighter pilots. Even they were impressed by its fly by performance! It wasn’t nearly as smoky as the Backfire bomber that was also at the show however…

[@angryburg]

@@carlbillingham2670 New 29s don't smoke nearly as much. Smoke is caused by the wear of the fuel injectors, which would cause fuel mixture to be slightly richer than it needs to be and result in the burn of the excess fuel. It doesn't affect thrust and only happens on military power Su-27 also smokes, but only during rapid throttle changes, due to specifics of the fuel system, where it will dump some of the fuel to avoid pressure spikes

[@rmack9226]

Interesting that all Russian hardware is defensive or only meant to patrol in very limited range near Russia... Yet we're constantly told Russia is aggressive. Meanwhile the US has global power projection, invades everyone everywhere, topples governments, uses CIA to fund protests and coups and the Us, we're always told, is peaceful.

[@slappy8941]

Hey bro, "it's" is a contraction of "it is", and "its" is third person neutral possessive.

[@bariole]

They say it was price that killed it. Mig-29's bill of ownership was was about 80% of Su-27. It was too expensive to exist next to Su-27. There was single engine version in development, called Izdeliye 33 which would be less capable, but much more balanced. A true successors to Mig-21.

[@DIREWOLFx75]

Also, the MiG-29 wasn't suited for easy upgrades. While Su-27 was designed from the start to be easy to upgrade.

[@cujbaion1]

MiG-27 doar că nu știu cît costă întreținerea aripilor. Noi mai avem cîteva MiG-29 dar nu sunt zburate, MiG-27 ar permite macar cîtiva piloți să fie antrenați și să poată patrula. ☹️

[@jebise1126]

it was doctrine. soviet union only wanted 2 engine fighters. indeed if single engine fighter would be made and share the same engine as flanker that could gain big export numbers.

[@ГеоргийМурзич]

@@DIREWOLFx75 Check MiG-29M (9-15)

[@kalactose348]

The most beautiful aircraft ever made.

[@northindian344]

@@kalactose348 Super True

[@Nel33147]

Without a doubt 😊

[@taylorc2542]

It just look right.

[@Sacto1654]

I think had the MiG-29 been more like the MiG-35, that plane would have sold in very large numbers. It's actually a quite maneuverable plane, and with the MiG-35's modern avionics, a very potent interceptor.

[@dindrmindr626]

if Wildcat was more like Tomcat it would have sold in very large numbers... dear lord.

[@mattg5978]

I appreciate how the briefing is geared toward an informed viewer.

[@hogey74]

Yes!. If a term or concept is unfamiliar, you simply look it up, leading to expansion of understanding.

[@jiggsborah7041]

Great topics on your channel and I enjoy it immensely.

[@non-human3072]

Totally agree 👍

[@DarkRendition]

Agreed!

[@MrCashewkitty]

There's a fabtastic interview here on KZbin with an American pilot who got to log many hours in the Mig while doing a pilot exchange in India. He said much of the same. Very touchy. Very dangerous. Very rough in fit, finish, and avionics. He said its covered in roug looking rivets and was intimidating to get in such an unrefined beast. Sketchy. He did say it was very capable once he got used to it.

[@enhancedutility266]

Mig-29 is a really good aircraft but I think it's full potential of this airframe is the mig-35

[@_b_x_b_1063]

MiG-29M

[@engrfka]

Annnnnnnnnd MiG 35 flopped so bad that even Russia does not have more than a handful

[@Leec_1972]

@@engrfka probably because potential buyers wanted the SU 27 - 35 series. It certainly didn’t flop because it was a bad aircraft. It flopped simply because it was not able to pay for itself. There are many US and French fighters for instance that suffered the same fate.

[@hanrenfighterjet]

@@engrfka egypt has more

[@Kneecap22]

yeah, they ran out of money. A lot of the money for development of the SU-30 and other Su-27 variants came from India and other export customers. But the Mig wasn't supported by the export market as much.

[@DrGrove]

Unrelated question: what is that absolute banger of a song called? I also heard it in the Tigershark video

[@waynedawson8833]

Let's bump this question up^^

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

Probably 'Sandstorm.' Derude, always.

[@Steven-p4j]

Excellent, thank you for the overview of the MIG-29, and its subsystems.

[@hikigayahachiman6368]

This aircraft is like a student in school who has great potential but ignored by everyone

[@minhmeo9506]

If only the MiG-29M was put into production/service before the fall of Soviet Union, then perhaps it would not be such a failure on export market 😕

[@jebise1126]

i dont think much would change. for export it would need to be single engine aircraft. maybe even share engine with flanker for common parts. that would make it way cheaper and attractive for export. giving more money for development too

[@xkavarsmith9322]

Unlikely. The Mig-29 Fulcrum is roughly equal to the F-18 Hornet, while the Su-27 Flanker is about the size and capability of an F-15 Eagle. For the price and capability --because the Sukhois can carry a LOT including nuclear bombs-- it's more cost-effective to just buy Sukhois.

[@historyisawesome6399]

I doubt much changes because the reson the mig-29 preformed so poorly in iraq and serbia wasent one of airframe the mig-29 gave the f-15 like 3 near losses during the gulf war it was factors like awacs more airframes in the sky better ew and better command and control that leqd to the f-15/f-16 being better in iraq and serbia i really isnt about the plane if you fliped the sides the iraqis having the f-15 and the us having the mig-29 the results whould be the same many mig-29 f-1 etc were shot down before they even saw there killers due to awacs spotting the long in advance and the radars being jammed

[@WaVeTECH-b9z]

Most beautiful aircraft have ever created

[@mab2187]

F-16 & MiG-29 are like the F-86 & MiG-15 of the modern era. Tho MiG-29 I think is the superior of the two, the only issue is that it nvr got the love of future upgrades the same way the F-16 did.

[@StefanBlagojevic]

Su-30SM2 is a beautiful aircraft. ❤️

[@janusz4156]

Star of Ace Combat series and War Thunder. 45 years of MiG-29 "Fulcrum" in 2022 and 30 years of Ace Combat series in 2025.

[@vladimircurkoski1455]

MiG 35 is such a good looking plane

[@broncosgjn]

excellent video. Thank you

[@jordancourse5102]

The MiG 29 did its job. Yea the avionics could’ve been better but it shocked the world when it made its debut.

[@horusfalcon]

Nicely done! Folks like to underestimate the Fulcrum, but it is still a very capable aircraft, and more especially so in the MiG-35 variant.

[@specc_s1452]

This video is incredibly high-quality with in-depth detail. Kudos for this video❤️🤘🏾

[@vladimirnikolskiy]

For foreign customers, there is now an upgraded Mig-35, with new avionics and radar, however, from the experience of military operations in Ukraine, I doubt that there will be countries that will want to operate it, however, as well as the F-16, which completely failed as a fighter in the Ukrainian sky. The Mig-29 was conceived as a frontline fighter, however, in our time with advanced air defense systems, it and the F-16 are useless, however, like other short-range aircraft. The time of war with countries in which the population walks in sandals is ending.

[@chandrachurniyogi8394]

the MIG-29FA multi role air dominance fighter is a true tour-de-force, even now in the age of stealth & UCAVs . . . only plagued by reliability issues of an otherwise brilliant airframe . . . later upgraded variants of the MIG-29 made it even more capable with new state-of-the-art radar & avionics thus making the MIG-29 Fulcrum-B omni-role capable . . . able to engage aerial targets at long ranges with R-77A semi-radar homing inertial guided BVR air-to-air missiles . . . however inspite of the improvements the unreliability of critical systems still prevailed . . . the MIG-29M2 multi role air dominance fighter is the most extensively upgraded MIG-29 since it's introduction in the 1970s . . .

[@allahsnackbar9915]

very good video with the music and all thanks

[@IrishCarney]

Very cool to have the thumbnail be an East German MiG-29

[@jessicaandtrains7768]

A beautiful and very capable aircraft

[@MrErtwer]

Hell yeah, BIG JET!!!

[@joesillamanrs7189]

Need a list of tracks used in this video!

[@ThomisticAmerican13FOX]

Wonderful footage and super 80s sound track. Agree it has unrealized potential. Great base design but bad timing. The R77 capability on the C/S varients is a big jump in capability, something early Flankers lacked.

[@xxGravyBabyxx]

The mig-29 is an inexpensive fighter jet but with lack luster controls and avionics, it was left behind by the f-16. If these are upgraded with modern day avionics, many countries would have air forces

[@Smooth_As_Silkk]

God damned gorgeous plane too, only edged out by its Sukhoi cousion

[@taylorc2542]

MiG-29 should have been a world beater considering it has the best aerodynamic features of 4th gens: a lifting body "pancake" from the F-14, LERX from F-18, and the blended wing of the F-16. And yet it gets no respect. I think this is due to it's poor fuel fraction and lack of political support from Russia compared to the Flanker.

[@Mike930806]

The music is top notch can some give me the links pls :) !!

[@SonyJimable]

Excellent channel.

[@MrBozo3d]

the soundtrack, please!!! where can I find it?

[@max2008abhi]

The indian mig-29 sucessfully outdid the Pakistani f-16s in the skies over kargil in 1999.

[@johncaccamo]

Never seen any evidence that a single IAF Mig-29 ever even got within missile range of a PAF F-16 during the Kargil War... in fact, post-war, both the IAF and the PAF admitted neither country even had a single fighter engage any fighter of the other side during the entire conflict...

[@historyisawesome6399]

⁠@@johncaccamopost kargil war in 1999 2 mig-29 managed to sneak up on 2 f-16 and achived locks on the paf jets but were deined engagment premission due to it being like 2 weeks after the ceasefire went into effect

[@pacus123]

@@johncaccamo Mig 21 Bison shot down a Pakistani F16

[@segan_047]

@@pacus123 🤣 that was indian propaganda. You can check the satellite photos Pakistan had the same amount of F-16s as it did before and after that incident. Of course both countries claim things but there's only evidence of an Indian aircraft shot down and its pilot captured, the Pakistanis wouldn't be able to hide the wreckage of an F-16 if it was shot down not even from satellites. So please, stop spreading bs

[@chooyongming110]

mig29 became increasingly redundant in russia due to su-27 receiving better upgrades, just like t64 and most t80 tanks became increasingly redundant for russia since t72b3 and t90m are better

[@wvnn27ahmvd]

does anyone know what synthwave/retrowave music that was used in this video..?

[@TheGranicd]

In early years F16 wouldnt fair good. No BVR missiles on 16A and 29 had helmet sight. In the end thats what German 29s showed in training fights.

[@jokernabastard2828]

Love the synthwave music!

[@helmhamburgerhand]

Honestly if this aircraft had been given a full NATO led redesign it could very well be one of the best multirole fighters in the world. Akin to the F-16XL

[@drb996]

With the new Fulcrum M variant it's still a lethal air to air fighter. Also, this airframe can climb to the edge of space if the Russian's figure out someway to incorporate carbon composit glide vehicle's to it that will become a game changer in combat.

[@daveb4446]

If you go watch interviews with NATO pilots who tested them, the MiG-29 actually exceeded their expectations, but Flankers performed much worse than expected. If the technology from the SU-57 was integrated into the MiG-29, it would have an RCS similar to a cruise missile. Not truly stealthy, but invisible to long range radars at any useful distance.

[@alpenfoxvideo7255]

all warplanes are so cool and different to each other. It's really peak modern humanity.

[@ioanbota9397]

Its so powerful I like it

[@ViceCoin]

Helmet-mounted R73 dogfight missiles made turn rates a minimal issue.

[@ViceCoin]

The Mig35 is the advanced development of the Mig29.

[@muhammadsaleh7229]

People shit on it becuz the crappy export variants didnt perform well in the hands of poor pilots ..who wouldve thought

[@michaelwu9450]

My rebuttal to that is it was an incredibly shortsighted and foolhardy move of the USSR to sell downgraded export models. They chose secrecy at the cost of performance. The west anticipated this, chose its allies carefully, and generally kept the major components the same on export models. The F-14 really got its reputation from the Iran-Iraq war downing a plethora of Soviet and french built aircraft. The F-15 and F-16 was expertly flown by the Israelis, destroying many Soviet and french aircraft. Even the widely proliferated F-4 really matured in the hands of pilots internationally. You’re going to tell me “but they used the MiG-29 9-12 variant which had an outdated radar and R-60s which were completely useless” or “those F-15 kills were inflated by old Su-22s, MiG-21s and Mig-23s.” Yeah I agree. But the general public doesn’t and will never see that. Countries looking for the best radars or flight characteristics on the market don’t see that. I think the Russians are still suffering from that negative international perception and it shows in some of their export sales.

[@historyisawesome6399]

⁠@@michaelwu9450my rebuttal to this is the soviet union made like half of its gdp selling weapons one im five soviet adults worked in the production or mantince of weapon sytemes they couldent afford to properly train or vet everyone excpesilaly some one like a iraq who the soviets feared werent going to pay there debt back to them and who was involed in a conflict that had no real ties to the geopolitics of the ussr. secondly the mig-29 faliure really wasnet that the plane was bad its that the us had awacs ew better command and control the list gose on soft factors decided engagments not the planes themselfs there are couple of engagments were the iraqis almost hit f-15s but there missles missed

[@michaelwu9450]

@@historyisawesome6399 yeah all good points, I don’t disagree. AWACS, Command and Control, SEAD all absolutely played a role in the conflict and it’s important to get a holistic view of a system instead of just attributing success to one thing. Does raise the question if it was absolutely even worth exporting some of these models if they were only going to be fodder.

[@kurnass2000]

Export mig29 given to Iraq had 40% reduced engine power to last longer, no r73 only r60

[@sgtmac62]

Forgive me, but the MIG-29 multitude of problems: (long read, but worthi it) Limited range The MiG-29's fuel capacity is relatively low, giving it a range of less than 900 miles. It also can't refuel in flight, making it primarily useful for defensive missions. Lack of situational awareness Early MiG-29s lacked HOTAS and an inter-aircraft data link, which made it difficult for pilots to have situational awareness. This may have prevented pilots from fully utilizing the plane's combat capabilities. Short service life The MiG-29 was designed to have a service life of 2,500 hours, which is shorter than the 6,000 hours typical for US fighters. The airframes also deteriorated quickly, requiring expensive maintenance. Susceptible to surface-to-air missiles MiG-29s have been shot down by surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). For example, NATO used SAMs against MiG-29s during the Balkans conflicts. Weaknesses in dogfighting MiG-29s have been shot down in dogfights, such as when US F-15s shot down five Iraqi MiG-29s during Operation Desert Storm. Logistical expenses Operating small fleets of different types of aircraft can be expensive, which may reduce the attractiveness of the MiG-29 -Bob

[@badroudz5728]

Some countries has developed their mig 29 to mig 29m2 such as Algeria and Egypt

[@CajunMarine33445]

The Mig-29 was really good at becoming a smoldering hole in the ground in both Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and during the break up of the former Yugoslavia. Facing off against NATO and US air power

[@stevanjakovljevic8390]

Best looking plane

[@deeacosta2734]

At least it looked cool AF.

[@ROBOTRIXeu]

[@DIREWOLFx75]

The MiG-29 wasn't suited for easy upgrades. While Su-27 was designed from the start to be easy to upgrade. This ultimately destroyed its chances for longevity. Together with a pricetag far too close to the Su-27, while only having, at best, half the capability.

[@TheBowMen]

Still formidable Great fighter in Himalayas

[@thybonheng1485]

Mig-29 with a east Germany flag nice 👍

[@Crash-yp7ll]

Thank you for capitalizing the 'G' - from your English teacher.

[@oskar6661]

Man, I can't get over how good the MiG-29 and Su-27(+) series look. Beautiful planes. Sad that we're being ushered into the 5th/6th era...no longer will we see attractive combat aircraft.

[@p2e]

sexiest fighter ever made

[@265justy]

F-16

[@halnineooo136]

Su-75 is the future of Mig-29/35

[@janwitts2688]

A lot of the USA used f16 are junk.. upgrade wise, compared to f16s elsewhere that have extensive upgrades or built with capabilities

[@watcher5729]

The mig 29 could have had some stealth design upgrades and engines vectoring and super cruis with conformalnfuel tanks . Datalink long range missile cueing to ground or other aircrafts. Smaller more agile and faster znd cheaer to make.

[@DrHavoc1]

With better engines and avionics it could easily be a modern plane.

[@AC_702]

I think the MiG-35 is DOA, unfortunately. Too expensive, already outclassed by other aircraft on the market, and the biggest killer is the Russian after-sales support is terrible. Plus, why buy that when you can easily dust it with a modern F-16, Typhoon, Rafael or even a Su-35? Nice looking aircraft but I think it is too late for it to recover any ground.

[@dindrmindr626]

oh dear lord the amount of mistakes in first 2 minutes...

[@pirate-rz2jq]

Thank you lord almighty for making someone make this video 😭😭😭.The MIG 29 is such a mistreated fighter. If the lord would have given me the resources I would've given it a new fly by wire system new radar new engine new display setup new advanced avionic new advanced everything I would've given the latest technology and make the true fighter it was destined to become😭😭😭😭

[@UltraTotenkopf]

*Dude... such a fighter exists, it's called MiG-29OVT* kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJW5e4OQdrB0h6c

[@Aviation_Videos]

Love the Mig 29 best looking jet in the world apart from the Pig

[@265justy]

F-16

[@lokesh303101]

Under belly Flat Aerodynamic Cover is needed.

[@janwitts2688]

The airframe was made of chewing gum.. but yes, could have been so much more..

[@deltaandD7516]

3:19 KNEE-GHAA....? 🤔😒

[@MoonBeamLaser]

Miggers aren't welcomed on this flight deck!

[@auro1986]

there in your europe sweden has saab's jas39 and jas37 which has potential your friend america doesn't like

[@abijeetrs6522]

Avionics is the major drawback of this aircraft unfortunately.

[@craigywaigy4703]

10sec in and the propoganda BS is overwhelming........... Mentions "Eagle".......... Lol

[@Дмитрий-щ7м4х]

Russian propaganda! When MIG-29 was the best? What do you smoke?

[@DJEDzTV]

My favourite jet to this day

[@dksl9899]

It's hilarious that the Russians themselves took to calling / marketing it as the Fulcrum. A nicer NATO choice name than Fishbed or Frogfoot I guess...

[@SwallowsTheSun]

@@dksl9899 how is that hilarious?

[@dksl9899]

@SwallowsTheSun how often do people adopt a name given by an adversary for their own weapon system?

[@joshuadavis862]

Hey everyone Jesus saves accept him as your savior today and repent if you haven’t already he’s coming back soon be ready. Jesus Christ is Lord. ✝️✝️ 🎉❤