MiG 29M / 915

Western technicians thought it odd that the MiG-29—a new aircraft to those who saw it for the first time at Farnborough—was still equipped with conventional hydraulically powered flying controls They did not realize that the blueprints for the aircraft dated back some twenty years, and that in the early 1970s fly-by-wire (FBW) controls were far from being fully developed. But they are developed now, and it should be no surprise that the second-generation MiG-29 is FBW-equipped. This new variant, initially called the izdehye 9-15, is now referred to as the MiG-29M But the modifications are not limited to quadruplex ana – log-computed FBW on the pitch channel (triplex on the roll and yaw channels) This machine may still look like a MiG-29, but in fact it is an entirely new aircraft

To increase the aircraft’s range—markedly too short—more room was needed inside the aircraft to increase the fuel capacity Because the fuselage was already chock-full, the whole structure had to be completely rethought and rebuilt with new materials Major structur­al changes included a welded aluminum-lithium section in front of the mam landing gear, a welded steel section behind, and more ele­ments made of composite materials Moreover, the louvered upper surface auxiliary air intakes were deleted, and the number of rounds for the GSh-301 cannon was reduced to 100 from 150 Those last two measures alone permitted an increase in the capacity of tank no. 1 from 705 1 (186 US gallons) in the MiG-29 to 1,710 1 (452 US gallons) in the MiG-29M.

The wing, which was given a new airfoil section with a sharp lead­ing edge and new ailerons extended out to the wing tips (to help improve handling characteristics at high AO As), was also structurally modified to increase to 400 1 (105 US gallons) the capacity of each of the two tanks it houses The aircraft’s internal fuel capacity now totals 5,8101 (1 535 US gallons), distributed as follows tank no 1, 1 710 1 (452 US gallons), tank no. 2, 840 1 (222 US gallons), tank no. 3, 1,800 1 (475 US gallons), tank no ЗА, 530 1 (140 US gallons) tank no 3B (an addi­tional tank), 130 1 (34 US gallons); wmg tanks 800 1 (210 US gallons). That represents a 33 percent increase in internal fuel capacity over the MiG-29 And that is not all The wmg is piped (like that of the MiG-29S) to receive two 1,150-1 (304-US gallon) drop tanks under pylons If one adds the 1,500-1 (396-US gallon) underbelly tank, the overall fuel capac­ity totals 9,6101 (2,539 US gallons)

Externally the MiG-29M departs from the basic model m its slightly lengthened nose, its broader, deeper, and longer dorsal spine terminat­ing in a spade-shaped structure that extends beyond the jet nozzles; and its single paddle-type airbrake, hinged on the top of the rear fuse­lage and hydraulically actuated The all-movmg (collectively and differ­entially) horizontal tail surfaces have a greater area and a notched lead­ing edge

The MiG-29M is powered by two Klimov Sarkisov RD-33K engines rated at 5,390 daN (5,500 kg st) dry and 8,625 daN (8,800 kg st) with afterburner They are equipped with a full-authority digital engine con­trol The air intakes have a greater section and a hydraulically actuated lip at their forward bottom to modify the mass flow The FOD exclu­sion doors of the MiG-29 have been replaced by lighter deflector grilles The aircraft’s avionics suite was entirely updated The new radar, the Fazatron N 010 Zhuk (“beetle"), is a multimode system that, with its 680-mm (26 77-inch) dish antenna, can provide –

-uniform-scale ground mapping with specified resolution, scale enlargement, and freeze capabilities

—measurements of the aircraft’s velocity and the coordinates of ground marks for navigation updating —measurements of selected ground or sea mark coordinates and tar­get designation information for air-to-surface missiles, rockets, bombs, and guns

-air-to-air modes (look-up and look-down) and control of the launches of missiles equipped with active, passive, or semiactive radar homing heads, as well as rocket launches and gunfire —a close air combat mode against visual targets — target detection (up to ten), track-while-scan capabilities on multi­ple targets (up to four), and simultaneous multimissile attack —automatic terrain-following and terrain-avoidance modes for low – level operation

The radar is also compatible with the aircraft’s automatic guidance systems. Its detection range is greater than 100 km (62 miles)—the exact number is still kept secret

The two other elements of the SUV fire control system housed m the ball fairing in front of the windshield are. the OLS-M (optiko-lazer – naya sistem), an optoelectronic detection and sighting system consist­ing of an IRST that includes a TV capability collimated with a laser rangefinder/target illuminator; and the helmet-mounted target desig­nator (NSTs) whose computational capability was increased fourfold over that of the MiG-29 The three autonomous elements of the SUV can be fully interconnected. It was designed for HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) use

The cockpit canopy is slightly more humped, and the pilot’s seat was raised to give a better forward view (angle of vision, 15 degrees) The whole cockpit instrument panel was rethought and is now equipped with two multifunction CRT displays (on which no primaiy instrument information is displayed) and a HUD Despite the FBW, the pilot has a center stick with a stick force that is reduced by half

The weapon load was increased to 4,500 kg (9,920 pounds), and there are now eight store stations under the wing (instead of three) to cany a wide variety of loads: air-to-air missiles (up to eight), air-to-sur – face missiles (up to four), rocket pods, bombs, and the like On the MiG-29M no 155 exhibited in 1992 at Machulishche, there were four Kh-29T air-to-surface missiles under the inner panels of the wing and four new RVV-AE medium-range air-to-air missiles under the outer panels. The first of six prototypes (numbered 151 to 156) was first pilot­ed on 25 April 1986 by V. Ye Menitskiy, and the test flights showed that the type’s legendaiy maneuverability had improved still further Besides, as the new variant has inherited all the good features of the basic MiG-29 supplemented by the many improvements detailed above, the operating limits of the MiG-29M have leapt forward tremen­dously, as indicated by the following statistics: preflight check, 30 min­utes; turnaround time (depending on armament), 15-25 minutes; ground staff, 7; operational availability, 90 percent; mean time between failures (MTBF), 8 hours; man-hours per flying hour, 15; routine main­tenance cycle, 200 hours; mean troubleshooting time, 1.2 hours; engine change time including depreservation, installation, and ground test, 2.2 hours; man-hours for engine change, 5.3; accident rate after six to eight years of operation, one every 150,000 hours; airframe design life, 2,500 hours or 30 years (possible prolongation up to 4,000 hours); time con­trolled overhaul, 1,000 hours; engine TBO, 700 hours; engine service life, 1,400 hours.

Specifications

Span, 11.36 m (37 ft 3.2 in); overall length, 17.37 m (56 ft 11.8 in); height, 4.73 m (15 ft 6.2 in); wheel track, 3.09 m (10 ft 1.7 in); wheel base, 3.645 m (11 ft 11.5 in); wing area, 38 m2 (409 sq ft); takeoff weight, 15,000 kg (33,000 lb); max takeoff weight, 22,000 kg (48,500 lb); wing loading, 394.7-578.9 kg/m2 (80.83-118.57 lb/sq ft).

Performance

Same as MiG-29, except for: range in clean configuration, 2,000 km (1,245 mi); range with one 1,500-1 (396-US gal) and two 1,150 1 (304-US gal) auxiliary tanks, 3,200 km (1,990 mi).