1986 Mig 29 from Ukraine for sale in the U.S. 818 hours. Only $4.6 million. Maybe if I write a letter to Santa ... 1986 Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 29 UB Fulcrum B for Sale on AirplaneMart.com . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ron- Buy it and rent yourself out for Red Flag as long as they throw in the JP-8. The Germans participated in Red Flag with Mig-29s they inherited when the Iron Curtain fell. Not sure if they still fly them or not.
Yea and parts could be an issue too? I saw one up in Camarillo, CA a while back but if I recall it had ugly camo paint job and not as pretty as this one.
Terry, Germany inherited 24 MiGs 29 - almost brand new then - from Eastern Germany with the reunification. The "Luftwaffe" pilots loved the beast because they said that in a dogfight, there was nothing to beat it, no other airplane to turn tighter etc...BUT it was basically useless as an interceptor because it gulped fuel at a prodigious rate, so its range was laughable. One was lost, one is kept in a museum, the last 22 were sold for a symbolic sum to Poland in 2003 when the "Eurofighter" entered service. So it's already almost fifteen years that they left service with Germany. Rgds
Even tighter and faster, if reports from Germany and the german Luftwaffe pilots are to be believed (28° per sec vs 26° per sec). It was well known in Europe at the time that when the Swiss tried to dogfight the german MiG 29s with their F-18, they came back very impressed (and beaten). But, as you said, simply no range. Rgds
Saw them in the flesh at the Paris airshow when they came for the first time, 1989 I think it was; pilots were playing it "Top Gun" style. But it is a BIG aeroplane... That's said, should you ever got the chance to see one flown by Anatoly Kvotchur... Rgds
My guess is that you have never seen one from very near, no? They are built like tractors...or a flying tank. Robust they are, that's for sure... Rgds
No, it's not as if these come rolling down the block often here in the US! Of course my information is biased and comes out of the Cold War 80's era, I was always under the impression that MiGs were garbage (the MiG 25 Foxbat comes to mind). History has shown that wasn't entirely true - e.g., the use of vacuum tubes was smart and cheap (depending on your viewpoint), but still not exactly a Lexus. The counter point? F-35...not exactly a picture of quality. FWIW.
Well, you're bit harsh on the F-35, 'cos these programs are so big and complex today that it would be a surprise if they went along just fine, don't you think? The MiGs and Sukhoïs were the major attraction here in Europe once the iron curtain fell, for us aviation fans... Remember we grew under the threat of their tanks, aeroplanes, etc here...as a kid at school, I had a teacher in modern history who began most of his lessons by showing you a map of Europe, pointing out to the tip of Czecholsovakia and saying: "guys, there are only four hundred miles between here and the easternmost part of France; should the Russians decide to do so, they could be here in less than a night!". So yes, when the curtain fell (actually just before, at le Bourget salon in 1989) we rushed to see these at close quarters. They were/are an interesting mix between brute force and strenghth on one hand, and sophistication on the other. They usually have to cope with harsher conditions as far as landing strips, etc...so yes, solid they are! And they could perform, too; each time there was a meeting with one of those in the nineties, preferably with former eastern bloc pilots (less respectful of the safety limits and usually good showmen), off we went. But the truth is that, as for most soviet material, there was a gradation between the "upper standard" for the Soviet Air Force, and those given to the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Those for the VVS (Soviet fighter arm) were the best performers. By the way, the one of the add in the original post is (of course) a twin seater, so a training variant, as the "UB" in the designator is saying ("Uchebnoy Boyevoï" meaning more or less: "combat trainer"). Rgds
Yea, and with the helmet mounted sight when matched with the Vympel R73 close range missile the Mig 29 could and did outfight just about any western power fighter in mock combat. Have a buddy who was involved in the US Airforce advisary evaluation program. It took a while for him to come out with this-and he was always very annoyed by it but he said that in their mock combat they never won one 1-1 close range dog fight when going against the West German Mig 29 fighters. Never won once...
That's what was said here at the time, before they were sold to Poland in the summer of 2003 (for one - ONE - euro each...). Truth is however that at long range engagements, they didn't fare so well...but in close combat and dogfight, and when flown by Luftwaffe pilots, they had a reputation to be "the ultimate" opponent. Rgds
Really cool. Excuse my aviation ignorance, but if one had the means and desire, could a civilian actually register and fly the thing in the US?
You need buckets of money to pay for fuel, parts, and insurance. I remember reading an intel bulletin which contained a crappy b/w photo of the Mig-29 - around 1984. With that kind of money I would pass on the station wagon. Wait for the single seat.
Big advantages for the Mig-29 when in service with the Luftwagge were the helmet mounted sight, AA-11 (R-73) Archer missile, and the IRST system. The Archer could attack targets 45 degrees off boresight, which was a huge advantage in a close-on fight. Combine that with phenomenal turn rate and excellent control feel, and the Mig-29 was the Spitfire of the 80s and 90s. No legs, but great if you were defending your own airfield and nobody had already killed you with a BVR missile.
That would be so much fun. You would have to import an ex soviet mechanic with experience and then try to find spares. Way beyond a millionaire game....more like billionaire game.
Don't forget - Paul Allen already owns one. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
At the time, the Archer system was wicked. Amazing how the tech concept hasn't changed all that much, but the capability expansion is just insane. I spoke with an Aggressor Sq.(VFC-13) pilot during an airshow next to his F-16, he said the Superhornet's JHMCS is just simply not fair.
Not really. There's a small, but very competent, community of mechanics across the country who all have contacts in the old soviet countries who source parts. Plus, these planes usually are shipped over with a spares package, and a good portion of the parts that cannot be sourced will be replaced with American stuff. One of the top guys is at Reno Steed; his shop is like a museum. As with all of aviation, though, there are ****ty mechanics who claim to be experts as well that have to be avoided. Mark