The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems shot down some MiG-29 fighter jets and six helicopters used by Ukraine in the war in Eastern Europe.
The fighters, codenamed Fulcrum, given by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), are considered the main line of Ukrainian air defense.
It began to be tested in the 1970s, and in the 1980s it was produced by the Russian company Mikoyan-Gurevich, named after its two founders, Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich, and to this day operates in the Russian Air Force and in the countries in which it operates. They were exported like Ukraine.
The latest version of the MiG-29 is capable of up to six medium-range or eight short-range missiles, as well as a 30mm cannon capable of firing up to 150 rounds.
The aircraft, which has a range of 1,430 km according to its technical specifications, can fly at a maximum altitude of 18,013 meters.
The warrior is 17.3 meters long and 4.4 meters high. Its wingspan is 12 meters and it reaches a speed of 2400 km/h. Cruising speed is up to 1,500 km/h, according to the AirForce website. technology.
Despite the high maintenance cost, Ukraine has locally produced versions of Fulcrum such as the MiG-29MU1 and MiG-29MU2.
These “upgrades” include some Ukrainian navigation systems and sensors, such as infrared GRAM and western communication systems.
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), the MiG-29 has equal or greater power than the F-15 Eagle of the American Armed Forces in close combat and maneuvers at low speeds.
The tests were conducted by German and American pilots.
‘Ghost of Kiev’
This pattern of warfare is the same as seen in a video that took off from a Ukrainian airport after Russia claimed at the start of its invasion of the neighboring country that it had completely destroyed all Ukrainian warplanes.
The MiG-29 was, at that moment, the first evidence that Ukraine had aircraft to fight.
Soon after, the legend of the “Ghost of Kyiv”, a Ukrainian pilot with “supernatural” abilities, who in the first days of the war could use the MiG-29 to take 6 or 40 Russian aircraft out of combat – reports vary.
The nickname “Ghost” would be a reference to the DCS (Digital Combat Simulator) game that simulates air combat. Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, which resisted Russian occupation.
According to the German newspaper DW, “The Ghost of Kiev” is a war legend, although it is not known whether it was based on real events.
Oleksandr Oksanchenko, 53, Ukrainian army reserve colonel and pilot, 29-year-old Major Stepan Tarabalka, Appointed as aviation aces. Both died in the war.
But the military said it was nearly impossible for a single pilot to shoot down dozens of enemy planes. In addition, some of the photos posted on social media claiming to be the pilot responsible for the attack on the Russians were tampered with or taken from recordings of other times.
Even the Ukrainian Air Force Command posted on Facebook, “The Ghost of Kyiv is a legendary superhero created by the Ukrainians!” He stated that “not neglecting the basic ‘information hygiene’ rules” and “controlling information sources”. before disseminating information”.
source: Noticias
