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Russia Mikoyan (MiG)
MiG-29
Twin-engine, highly maneuverable light air-superiority fighter developed during the Cold War and exported to dozens of air forces. Remains in widespread service, particularly among former Soviet-bloc and non-aligned operators, though many airframes are now dated relative to Western equivalents.
In service since 1982 · 25 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
2,400
km/h
1,500
km range
18,013
m ceiling
3,500
kg payload
1.09
T/W
💲 ≈ $29,000,000 — Approximate historical export unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Russian state channel
Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.
Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 25 operators
In service since 1982. Status: active · ~1,600 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$73M – $102M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 2,400 km/h Stronger than 77% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 2.25 Mach Stronger than 80% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,500 km Bottom 5% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 700 km Stronger than 24% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 18,013 m Stronger than 77% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 1.09 Stronger than 78% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 7 Stronger than 17% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 3,500 kg Bottom 7% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- chaff, flares, Gardenia EW suite (later variants)
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 17.32 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 11.36 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.73 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 11,000 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 18,500 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 81 kN Stronger than 25% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 4,300 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- N019 Rubin pulse-Doppler radar (baseline)
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- OEPS-29 infrared search and track
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $29,000,000 Top 6% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 1,600 Top 7% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 25 Top 3% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Mikoyan (MiG) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 has a maximum speed of 2,400 km/h.
What is the range of the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 has a maximum range of 1,500 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 can carry up to 3,500 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 weigh? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 has a combat weight of 18,500 kg.
How many crew does the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 require? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29's primary weapon is the 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon.
What engine does the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 use? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 is powered by the 2x Klimov RD-33 afterburning turbofans.
What is the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 used for? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 is operated by 25 countries.
How much does the Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 cost? +
The Mikoyan (MiG) MiG-29 has an approximate unit cost of 29,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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