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Mikoyan MiG-33
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mikoyan MiG-33 is an upgraded version of the MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum") fighter jet. It is larger and heavier than the MiG-29. Called the Super Fulcrum, this plane features high-precision weapons that greatly improves its air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. It also uses a form of thrust vectoring less complex than the F-22 Raptor or the Sukhoi Su-37.
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In the mid-1990s, the MiG-33 was the original designation for the MiG-29M. In 1996, it was reported that MAPO-MiG planned to redesignate newer versions of the MiG-29M as the MiG-33, although there will be no differences in flight hardware between the two designations.
The MiG-33 is a modernisation of the MiG-29, with upgrades in several areas. One goals of the modernisation was adding multifunctionality with further growth of air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities with high-precision weapons. It featured considerable growth of combat range owing to an increase in the internal fuel capacity, along with better pilot-to-aircraft interface in the cockpit and the introduction of other new-generation equipment.
The external changes between the MiG-33 and the MiG-29 are negligable. The MiG-33 features changes in the intakes' geometry, including the removal of the upper intake louvres, enlarging inlet dimensions for higher airflow, installation of movable nets protecting the engines from the ingestion of foreign objects during take-off and landing. The number of hard points was increased up to nine, and this enables either suspension of a 4.5-ton bomb load or eight Vympel RVV-AE air-to-air missiles, the Russian counterpart to NATO's AMRAAM. The MiG-33 can carry same types of missiles as the MiG-29 does, and many more. For instance, four air-to-surface missiles such as laser-guided Kh-25ML and Kh-29L, or the TV-guided Kh-29T missile or four KAB-500KR guided bombs can be carried.
The MiG-33 features more powerful, upgraded engines and the quadraple-redundant fly-by-wire flight control system. A new onboard radar with a reprogrammable signal processor provides not only a greater aerial target detection range, but is also capable of detection of sea and small-sized ground targets, ground mapping, terrain following and alerting to avoid ground obstacles.
The flight performance and the handling qualities either remain the same as those of the MiG-29 or represent an improvement; this is due to the new engine and the fly-by-wire system. The combat range saw a considerable increase owing to the enlarged fuel capacity. For an aerial close-in engagement (five 360-degree turns, load of two medium, two short range missiles, three drop fuel tanks), the combat radius is 1,250 km. The subsonic interception mission range (Mach 0.85, armament of four medium range missiles, three drop fuel tanks) is 1,440 km, and for a ground target attack mission with air-to-surface missiles (load of two air-to-surface, two short range air-to-air missiles, three drop fuel tanks), the comabt radius is 1,190 km.
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MiG-25 - MiG-27 - MiG-29 - MiG-31 - MiG-33 - MiG-35
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