Modernized Russian MiG29 fighter jet spotted in Syria for 1st time

There’s not a lot of footage here, but the context is fairly important. It would seem the MiG28 fighter jet has been updated and, for lack of a better word, modernized by the Russian military. The MiG29 Fulcrum is one of the most agile fighter jets ever built, able to outmaneuver the nimble F-16 and had a higher top speed as well. These two facts made for a lethal combination that was so potent, even the US bought twenty-one of the planes.

However, despite all its upside, the Fulcrum did have some drawbacks, mainly inside the cockpit. Without modern displays and controls, the MiG29 required the pilot to spend a lot of time looking down at the displays and readouts. In a world where things happen in fractions of a second, this time spent reading gauges could easily prove to be the difference in life and death. The pilots also had to keep one hand on the throttle, as it wasn’t integrated into the control stick, and the avionics aren’t fly-by-wire. The plane also wasn’t built to have a long service life, flying just 2,500 hours compared to 6,000 hours for for the fighters in the US arsenal.

Despite its obvious advantages in maneuverability, the MiG29 doesn’t have a great combat record, proving that even the most agile jet in the air isn’t always guaranteed to win. Much of that could be due to the antiquated controls and displays, and much could be attributed to pilot training. Either way, the modernized version seen below almost certainly addressed the issues with the displays and controls, leaving the pilots no excuse other than just being outflown if they can’t get the job done.

Hopefully tensions won’t escalate to that level, but if they do, we’ll see then if the updates level the playing field, or if our men and women still get the job done.