[image: Russia flight tests MiG-35 fighter: All about the jet NATO callsFulcrum-F]

MOSCOW – Russia is flight testing its latest 4++ generation supersonicmultirole fighter of the MiG series – MiG-35. The multipurpose fighter,which is being built in both single-seater and double-seater (trainer)versions, is an advanced form of the legendary MiG-29М/М2 jet with improvedand state-of-the-art avionics, radar and combat capabilities. The MiG-35(NATO code: Fulcrum-F) can hunt targets in the air, on the ground, and inthe sea.

“This is a plane that can operate on its own. It relies much less on groundservices and is capable of effective networking. The MiG-35 meets 21stcentury standards based on its reliability, repair and upgrades,” says IlyaTarasenko, CEO of MiG Aircraft Corporation. Russian Air Force plans toequip its entire Aerospace Force division with MiG-35 planes in a few yearswith the first plane entering active service in 2020.

With a length of 17.3 metres, wingspan of 12m and 4.73m high, the MiG-35 iscapable of flying at over Mach 2 (2,560 kilometres per hour). Its serviceceiling is 17.5 km. The maximum takeoff weight is 24,500 kilogrammes andthe fighter has a weapons payload capacity of 6,500 kg. There are ninehardpoints, four on each wing and one under the fuselage, for carryingweapons apart from a cannon for close range combat.

All MiG-35s will have the Zhuk-ME or Zhuk-AE active electronically scannedarray (AESA) radar which is capable of operating even amidst enemy jamming.The radar can detect and track 30 targets simultaneously. Its air targetdetection radius is 160 km while the radar can see surface ships at adistance of 300 km. The fighter can destroy six aerial targets or four onthe ground at one go.

The plane also has an advanced helmet-mounted target acquisition, glasscockpit as part of the flight deck comprising liquid-crystal displays anddisplay system along with optoelectronic complex which ensures the fightercan operate at full capacity day or night beyond visual range. The systemalso helps detect aircraft with low radar signature and gives the MiG-35the capabilities to match fifth-generation fighters.

The unified front part of the fuselage of a single-seat or two-seat planeallows the second pilot’s cockpit to be converted into a fuel tank. Theaircraft’s service life is 6,000 flight hours and s capable of operating ina wide variety of climatic conditions with temperature ranging from −45degrees Celcius to 50 degrees Celcius. Made with almost 20 percentcomposite material and coated with anti-radar material, the MiG-35 has areduced radar signature.

Claiming that the MiG-35 is super-manoeuvrable the Russian test pilots havedemonstrated that the fighter is capable of performing severalgravity-defying acrobatic loops which test not only the machine but alsothe pilot inside the jet.

*Cobra’s aerobatic feat*

The plane sharply raises its nose while retaining the preceding flight pathso that the fighter jet reaches angles of attack of over 90 degrees. Afterthat, the plane returns to its normal flight mode without losing thealtitude. This famous Cobra manoeuvre was first performed by test pilot,Hero of the Soviet Union, Igor Volk aboard a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraftin 1989 in the town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow. Later, pilot ViktorPugachev publicly demonstrated the aerobatic maneuver at the Le Bourgetairshow outside Paris and that is why it was dubbed Pugachev’s Cobra.

*Bell figure feat*

This is the most complex aerobatic manoeuvre to perform. The aircraftenters the position of its “nose to the zenith” and its speed drops tozero, after which it starts falling tail first and then makes a verticalU-turn through the horizon followed by a nosedive, imitating the swaying ofa bell’s tongues. Russian test pilot Anatoly Kvochur first performed thisfeat aboard a MiG-29 fighter in 1988 at the Farnborough airshow.

*Frolov’s Chakra*

The aircraft turns around its tail, forming a tight loop (or otherwiseknown as Nesterov’s Loop with a closed curve in the vertical plane). Themanoeuvre can be carried out only aboard aircraft with thrust vectoringnozzles. This feat was performed for the first time by test pilot, Hero ofRussia Yevgeny Frolov aboard an experimental Su-37 fighter jet in 1995 atthe Le Bourget airshow outside Paris.

The plane is powered by two RD-33MK engines which have been designed toreduce the fighter’s thermal and optical signature to make it less visibleto radars and heat-seeking missiles. The two RD-33MK can produce a fullAfterburner thrust of 2×9,000 kilogram-force while the maximum mode thrustis 2×5300 kgf. The engine’s service life is 4,000 hours and it can berigged with a thrust vectoring nozzle, which helps enhance the aircraft’sflight performance. The vectored thrust angle can be 15 percent in anydirection.