MiG-35 Fulcrum-F multirole fighter

Anatomy of War: The MiG-35

The Mikoyan MiG-35 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-F) is a Russian multirole fighter that is designed by Mikoyan, a division of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Marketed as a 4++ generation jet fighter, it is a further development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB fighters. According to a Russian defense industry source, the Mikoyan MiG-35 is essentially an upgraded variant of the MiG-29KR. Many consider MiG-35 a new name given by Mikoyan for marketing. The first prototype was a modification of the aircraft that previously served as a MiG-29M2 model demonstrator given temporary name MiG-35 but a later prototype was a different model with different equipment that served as the base for the MiG-35 as is known today. Mikoyan first officially presented the MiG-35 internationally during the 2017 Moscow air show; the first two serial production aircraft entered service in 2019.

The single-seat version is designated MiG-35S and the two-seat version MiG-35UB. The fighter has vastly improved avionics and weapon systems compared to early variants of MiG-29, notably new precision-guided targeting capability and the uniquely designed optical locator system, which relieves the aircraft from relying on ground-controlled interception systems and enables it to conduct independent multirole missions. Serial production aircraft use a PESA radar and there is also an option available for AESA radar. The serial production aircraft does not have thrust vectoring control as previously planned.

Given their penchant for modeling all sorts of modern military aircraft, its a good bet that Hobby Master will likely tap the MiG-35 as one of its next subjects for multiple modelmaking. While it pales in comparison to the stealthy 5th and soon-to-be-fielded 6th generation fighter aircraft currently in development, the MiG-35 nevertheless fills a void on the modern battlefield, replacing older aircraft types that have proven to be obsolete, ineffective or simply worn out from constant usage.

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