How Ukraines new MIG-29 Fighter Jet Operates

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The NATO countries of Poland and Slovakia are sending approximately 33 Mig-29 replacement fighter jets to Ukraine in an effort to regain some of the lost air capabilities. However aviation experts are questioning just how much of an impact the old 1980’s soviet aircraft technology could really hope to have on the modern battlefield. The 4th generation MIG Fulcrum brings its 30mm autocannon and incredible mach 2 speed to the table but Ukrainian pilots are insisting they need western American F-16’s to dominate the skies but the thing is the grandpa F-16 is just as old as the MIG29 so what’s that all about?

Written by: Chris Cappy & Justin Taylor

Video Edited by: Savvy Studios

Ukraine began the war with a stock of 50 operational MIG 29 Fulcrums that they had inherited from the soviet union after its collapse; today the Ukrainian air force is estimated to have lost 17 as of April of 2023. The Fulcrum was used extensively by both countries, with the famous Ukrainian “Ghost of Kiev” himself being a MIG 29 pilot with heroic tales of shooting down multiple enemy jets. Although it turned out that specific pilot didn’t actually exist, the air combat that the stories are based on, did. Thanks to social media we can now experience the conflict through the eyes of the real life Ukrainian MIG-29 pilots like Maj. Vadym Voroshylov callsign Karaya who managed to shoot down 5 enemy Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones and 2 cruise missiles before being hit by debris from one of the enemy drones he had just hit and being forced to eject. If you follow MIG-29 tik tok then you’ve probably seen the great @operatorthunder videos told from the point of view of a missile guidance system rapidly on its way to ruin a Russian MIG-29 pilots day.

In fact when we dig into the actual numbers the majority of combat aircrafts lost on both sides aren’t from air to air dogfights that the F-16 would have a major edge in. Instead they are suffering from very similar vulnerabilities that ground armored vehicles are facing. Man portable guided munitions fired from the IGLA launcher and the S300 and ground fired cruise missiles make up over half of aircraft lost in the war so far. So for instance Seven Ukrainian MIG-29’s were lost while on the ground at their respective airbases from two separate Russian missile strikes. 8 were lost in various forms of air combat including to enemy jets and ground fire. HOWEVER the lack of air to air losses are likely because the Fulcrum doesn’t have the capabilities needed to confidently engage in that kind of combat. Ukraine for their part has successfully downed over 70 Russian combat aircraft using these same techniques. This has led to Russia failing to gain air superiority and also largely avoiding flying their advanced aircraft anywhere near the frontline anymore.

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