The Egyptian Air Force MiG-35 deal represents the largest order for the Fulcrum fighter aircraft in the post-Soviet period
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) has switched to a new paint scheme for the MiG-35s it ordered. This new paint job was spotted at RAC MiGs production plant at Lukhovitsy.
As we have already reported in fact the first EAF MiG-35 was spotted in April at Zhukovsky Air Base, Russia and featured quite a different paint scheme.
In November 2013, Egypt and Russia started to negotiate an order of 24 of the then designed MiG-29M/M2s for the EAF. In April 2015, Egypt instead signed a contract, worth up to $2 billion, for 50 MiG-35 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum-Foxtrot) fighters scheduled to be delivered by 2020.
The EAF MiG-35 deal represents the largest order for the Fulcrum fighter aircraft in the post-Soviet period.
As we have explained in a previous article, the MiG-35 is a revision of the basic MiG-29. The aircraft in fact features a more robust multi-role capability with enhanced use of air-to-air and air-to-ground high-precision weapons. Furthermore It has considerably increased combat range owing to an increase in its internal fuel capacity.
The MiG-35 is a 4+++ generation multi-role fighter aircraft that is a further development of the MiG-29M/M2 and MiG-29K/KUB fighters. In fact the Fulcrum-Foxtrot is able to undertake air defense as well as ground attack missions. The aircraft has six hard-points under its wings which can carry six air-to-air missiles or smart bombs. The fighter, which features a 30 mm automatic cannon too, has a top speed of 2445 km/h.
Photo credit: Alexey Karpulyov via russianplanes.net
