Planes!

[mirth]

Yeah, the Poles do still have them in service and have upgraded them. Good planes, but the early models were notoriously short-legged.

[Windigo]

When the re-unification happened, the Luftwaffe inherited a number of 29s from the East. They operated them for awhile and let us get a good look at them too. Pretty sure they're all retired now.

Its a pretty cool looking plane and all, but.... maybe for OPFOR exercises?

[mirth]

They got a lot of use for that.

[Windigo]

Yeah, the Poles do still have them in service and have upgraded them. Good planes, but the early models were notoriously short-legged.

even with drop tanks? Or was that not a thing with the Mig 29?

[mirth]

Still very limited range even with the drop tank

https://www.16va.be/mig-29_experience.htm

"The employment of the MiG-29 suffers from severe inherent constraints. The most obvious limitation is the aircraft's limited internal fuel capacity of 3500-kg (4400 kg with a centreline tank). We have no air-to-air refuelling capability, and our external tank is both speed and manoeuvre limited. We also have only a limited number of tanks.

"But if we start a mission with 4400-kg of fuel, start-up, taxy and take off takes 400-kg, we need to allow 1000-kg for diversion to an alternate airfield 50-nm away, and 500-kg for the engagement, including one minute in afterburner. That leaves 2500-kg. If we need 15 minutes on station at 420 kts that requires another 1000-kg, leaving 1500-kg for transit. At FL200 (20,000 ft) that gives us a radius of 150-nm, and at FL100 (10,000 ft) we have a radius of only 100-nm.

[Windigo]

wow... that's almost a 'what's the point'

carrier aircraft???

[GDS_Starfury]

it was ment to operate out of East European airfields and cover Warsaw Pact forces in Germany.

[Windigo]

it was ment to operate out of East European airfields and cover Warsaw Pact forces in Germany.

so take off at full afterburner, jink a few times, release a few flares and get shot down?

[Staggerwing]

The MiG-29 was meant to be cheap but capable and able to operate off of dirt roads and even open fields as it's ad-hoc air bases were constantly relocating just behind moving front lines. Those shark gills you see on the top of the air intake scoops are there because there are shutters inside the main intakes that can be closed during takeoff to keep sticks and stones and birds from getting ingested. Once clear, those shutters open up for regular air intake.

[GDS_Starfury]

it was ment to operate out of East European airfields and cover Warsaw Pact forces in Germany.

so take off at full afterburner, jink a few times, release a few flares and get shot down?

pretty much

[mirth]

Definitely watch the video

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18886/watch-this-f-22-raptor-execute-a-mind-blowing-inverted-summersault-at-altitude

[mirth]

https://twitter.com/ERIK_D_REEDY/status/969959006406979586

[mirth]

https://twitter.com/JGrunsell/status/969823082775891974

[mirth]

https://militarymachine.com/a-10-thunderbolt-images/

[mirth]

https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/970330804521000960