Designed as a mass-produced and relatively cheap light tactical fighter, the MiG-29 first flew on October 6, 1977. After extensive flight testing, it entered production in 1982 and deliveries to the Soviet Air Force began in 1983. In addition to its main counter-air role, the aircraft had a useful air-to-ground capability, carrying free-fall bombs and unguided rockets. From the outset the MiG-29 had been steadily developed beyond the fourth generation with changes to the airframe, avionics and weapons systems and new variants were produced in the early 2000s. The MiG-29 known as the Fulcrum in the west, became both one of the Soviet Air Force's main fighter types and a successful Soviet export with nearly a third of the 1,500 first-generation Fulcrums built up to 1996 being exported. It saw service with 25 nations around the globe. Apart from the (former) Warsaw Pact nations, notable customers include India, Malaysia, Iraq, Yemen, Eritrea, Cuba and Peru. This revised and expanded edition of the definitive history of the aircraft charts in detail the MiG-29's evolution from the earliest design studies to the latest multi-role versions. It includes an enormous amount of new information, a listing of known operators and production lists together with a magnificent collection of previously unpublished photos.

En instruktionsbog (Flight Manual) for MiG-29 Fulcrum.

The Soviet pilot recounts his audacious defection in a hijacked MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jet and reveals the secrets behind the 1983 shooting of Korean Airlines flight 007, Soviet military espionage, American POWs in the Soviet Union, and other issues. Reprint.

The MiG-29 Fulcrum is acknowledged as the finest lightweight, multi-role fighter ever produced in Russia. It was designed to operate under wartime conditions and fight head-to-head with Western combat aircraft such as the U.S. F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, French Mirage 2000, Rafale, and Swedish JAS-39 Grippen. Roughly the size of the F/A-18 Hornet, the Mach 2.3 capable Fulcrum has also demonstrated many extraordinary capabilities and set several world records, including topping the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in altitude. Presently in service with the Russian Air Force, as well as the air forces of Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, India, Germany, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Iraq, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Syria, Poland, Malaysia, Hungary, and Yemen, the MiG-29 has proved to be a rugged and capable fighter that will continue to be a factor in future conflicts, both as ally or foe. It is with this in mind that MiG-29 Flight Manual: Unclassified was created - to provide a rare and unprecedented glimpse inside a top Russian aircraft. Using information that only a few years ago was highly classified, this translated text presents an extraordinary look at the capabilities and complexities of one of the very best fighters of the current age.

Having honed their piloting skills on the subsonic MiG-17 and transonic MiG-19, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) received their first examples of the legendary MiG-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile equipped MiG-21 proved a deadly opponent for the USAF, Navy and Marine Corps crews striking at targets deep into communist territory. Most of the VPAF's 12+ aces scored their bulk of their kills in the MiG-21, which was then the best fighter produced by Russia's premier fast jet manufacturer, Mikoyan Gurevich. Well over 200 MiG-21s were supplied to the VPAF, and the numerous models and the schemes they wore are chronicled in great detail in this unique volume.

As early as 1965, when the MiG-25 interceptor was in the midst of its test program, the Mikoyan Design Bureau started work on an even more capable two-seat interceptor meant to provide adequate protection for the huge expanses of Siberia and the Soviet Far East. Though superficially resembling a MiG-25 with tandem cockpits, the aircraft was soon designated the MiG-31. Initially dubbed Super Foxbat in the West but soon renamed Foxhound, the MiG-31 first flew on 16 September 1975 and, after a five-year trials program, achieved initial operational capability in 1980. Full-scale deliveries began in 1982 to units covering the Moscow Air Defense Zone, the Arctic and the Far East. One of the effects was that the SR-71s now stayed away from the Soviet borders. Efforts to improve the Foxhound began right away. In-flight refueling capability was added in 1989 to overcome the problem of inadequate range. Next, the MiG-31B, featuring upgraded avionics and better weapons, entered production in 1990; existing MiG-31s were brought up to the new standard (except for IFR capability) as the MiG-31BS. The radically improved 'Generation 4+' MiG-31M featuring a new WCS and new R-37 ultra-long-range AAMs first flew in 1985 but never entered production because of funding shortages. Today, the MiG-31s remains one of modern Russia's key air defense assets, and new versions keep appearing. The book gives the complete development and service history of this remarkable aircraft and is richly illustrated with color photos and color artwork throughout.