Studies were conducted in Mikoyan OKB from second half of the 80s, in parallel with the tests of the first MiG-29M prototypes. The basic directions of the improvements were determined to be an increase in the flying range, improvement in the maneuverability, and expansion of the types of armament used. During the first stage of modernization (MiG-29M1) it was intended to lengthen the fuselage of aircraft due to an insert before the engine compartment, thanks to which appeared the possibility to place additional tank No4 and to increase the volume of the tank No3. The internal fuel reserve on the destroyer it grew by 20% and reached 7000 lit. In the following stage (MiG-29M2) it was planned to equip the aircraft with a canard and new increased area wing with the fuel tank compartments of almost doubled larger volume. In the third stage of modernization (MiG-29M3) it was provided for to use on the aircraft the new system for control of armament, more high-powered engines, to increase tank capacity No2 and to install additional tank No5, and to also introduce the system of refueling in flight. As a result the internal fuel reserve on the destroyer reached more than 8000lit, 40% greater than MiG-29M, and 90% more than the base MiG-29. As a result this light tactical fighter should not have been inferior in the flying range (during the use of external fuel tanks) to heavier aircraft Su-27 and Su-27M.
Besides these versions at the level of technical proposal on the base MiG-29M was studied the design of fighter-bomber (attack aircraft) MiG-29Sh, that was being characterized by the presence of the powerful means of an increase in the combat protection measures (mass of such measures exceeded 1000 kg), an increase to 5000 kg of the combat load, in which, together with the standard MiG-29M guided and unguided weapons of destruction of ground targets, it was intended to include the anti-tank guided missiles (Vikhr?). The maximum takeoff mass of aircraft was 25,500 kg, on it it was planned to use developed engines with thrust 9900 kg (97.1 kN). Was examined also the possibility of designing of the combat training version of destroyer MiG-29M – aircraft MiG-29UBM. For the deliveries for the export was intended the destroyer MiG-29ME, known also by the name MiG-33. Unfortunately, none of these modifications came to pass.
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July 3, 2004 at 9:08 pm