24 Mikoyan MiG-29G Fulcrum-A (Luftwaffe)
Germany inherited 24 aircraft from East Germany in 1990, which were subsequently upgrade for NATO compatibility. The upgrades were completed by MiG Aircraft Product Support Gmbh (MAPS), a joint venture company formed between MiG Moscow Aviation Production Association and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace in 1993. These new aircraft were designated MiG-29G (single-seat) and MiG-29GT (tandem-seat). The Fulcrums served with the German Air Force until the arrival of the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2003. The remaining aircraft were sold to Poland.
In this image, a MiG-29G from the Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG73) “Steinhoff” tangles with a Finnish Air Force F/A-18C Hornet from Fighter Squadron 31 during training exercises. The Fulcrum and Hornet are comparable in many ways, as both were intended as lightweight, air-superiority fighters. It has been a hotly contested debate about which aircraft was better in a dogfight, with both sides claiming superiority. One could at least say that, at worst, the aircraft were evenly matched; advantages usually appeared in either avionics and weapon systems and, of course, pilots.
24 Mikoyan MiG-29G Fulcrum-A (Luftwaffe)
Germany inherited 24 aircraft from East Germany in 1990, which were subsequently upgrade for NATO compatibility. The upgrades were completed by MiG Aircraft Product Support Gmbh (MAPS), a joint venture company formed between MiG Moscow Aviation Production Association and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace in 1993. These new aircraft were designated MiG-29G (single-seat) and MiG-29GT (tandem-seat). The Fulcrums served with the German Air Force until the arrival of the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2003. The remaining aircraft were sold to Poland.
In this image, a MiG-29G from the Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG73) “Steinhoff” tangles with a Finnish Air Force F/A-18C Hornet from Fighter Squadron 31 during training exercises. The Fulcrum and Hornet are comparable in many ways, as both were intended as lightweight, air-superiority fighters. It has been a hotly contested debate about which aircraft was better in a dogfight, with both sides claiming superiority. One could at least say that, at worst, the aircraft were evenly matched; advantages usually appeared in either avionics and weapon systems and, of course, pilots.