Kraków 2007-11-24
History
288 Section 1989-07-31
OKB Mikojan and Guriewicz MiG-29, version 9.12, UB
Fighter jet concept.
In 1969, the design office of OKB Mikojan and Guriewicz, on its own initiative, started the project of a light frontal fighter as a supplement to the heavier fighter from the OKB Sukhoi office, the future Su-27. The air force command accepted the proposal to create an aircraft capable of airborne operations over its own territory and troop groups. Already at that time, the name MiG-29 was adopted by the military for the OKB Mikojana project.
It should be noted that the Perspektivny Frontovoy Istrebittiel (PFI) competition, important for Russian aviation, aimed at obtaining a fighter equal to the American F-15, won Sukhoi with his T-10, but at the same time Mikoyan’s OKB demanded for Liogkij Frontovoy Istriebittiel (LFI), sanctioning simultaneous development of two types of fighter aircraft. Project 9.12, developed for the PFI competition, was adopted as the basis for the creation of the new fighter.
Initially, the main designer of the aircraft was A. A. Chumachenko, who was replaced by Mikhail Waldenberg after the start of serial production. From 1993, the main designer was Valery Novikov.
The first prototype – MiG-29 (09.01). October 6, 1977.
The first prototype of the new aircraft, marked as 9.01, was completed in the summer of 1977 at the OKB Mikojana experimental design plant, from where it was transported to the airport in Żukowski near Moscow. It was there, on October 6, 1977, the head of the OKB Mikoyan testers, Aleksander Fedotov, who made the first flight.
In 1989, the Polish Army bought the first MiG-29 planes.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman