The Soviet-era Mikoyan MiG-29 “Fulcrum,” an air superiority fighter, was a very popular aircraft. Over 1,600 were built and bought or operated by over 40 countries. Despite initially having conventional flying controls, it could outperform its contemporaries, the F-16 and Mirage-2000.
The aircraft entered service in 1983 and saw significant operational action. It continues to be in production.
The Mikoyan Design Bureau of 1939-vintage was a global household name for many decades after WW II. Its MiG-15s had seen great action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and over 13,000 were produced.
Its MiG 19s had sold in large numbers, with over 2,000 built by the Soviets and 4,000 variants by China. Subsequently, the MiG-23, 25, and 27 were great success. MiG-31 continues to be a formidable platform and is still being built.
Unfortunately, its more advanced and latest variant, the multi-role MiG 35 “Fulcrum-F,” which made its first flight in December 2016, has had no takers, and only 8 aircraft have been built to date.
ut, with the success of the Sukhoi Su-27 basic aircraft and its variants, the Sukhoi Design Bureau started taking the lead. The end of the Cold War also saw further consolidation of the Russian aircraft industry, and in 2006, Mikoyan became a division of the United Aircraft Corporation in a merger with Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev.
The capacity to push MiG-35 in global markets was reduced. MiG-35s capability advantage over upgraded variants of MiG-29s was very nominal. It is interesting to understand the dynamics.
Russia is currently at war in Ukraine. It is also under Western economic sanctions. Most of its aircraft factories are busy with war production requirements. Also, some of the electronic components going on board the aircraft were coming from some European countries, and this route has dried up. A modern fighter aircraft cannot be offered without AESA radar.
Russian aircraft exports have been slowing down recently. The financial state of the aircraft corporations is not as healthy as it should be, as exports have been shrinking. Their ability to market has withered.
Russian aircraft designers and engineers are still poorly paid and have low motivation. The smarter and better ones moved to the West in the late 1990s, and Russia’s global clout is also weakening. Meanwhile, the newer fifth-generation aircraft, the Su-57 and Su-75, are both from the Sukhoi stable. So, clearly, the MiG designs are getting left behind.
Egypt, which initially wanted to buy MiG-35 in 2014, finally chose to purchase 46 MiG-29M/M2 multi-role fighters instead. MiG-35 remains one of the competitors for India’s 114 new MRCA fighters, for which the RFP has still to be sent out. Russia negotiated with Bangladesh for the sale of MiG-35, but it could not be pursued due to a shortage of funds.
China has already mastered the making of many Su-27 variants and invested significantly in that basic design. They have bought 24 Su-35s to further copy and reverse-engineer them.
China never went the Mikoyan route after MiG-21. India has already upgraded its MiG-29s. It is also upgrading the Su-30 MKI fleet. India’s significant concentration now is on indigenous LCA Mk2, which will be of a similar or better class than MiG-35. If both China and India don’t show interest in a product, the countries of the Global South become cautious and wait for a lead.
The MiG designers have to think ahead and come out with a futuristic aircraft concept and design, lest the great legacy of Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich be consigned to history.
