aviation - the past, present and future of flight

MiG squadron, JG 73, when

Oberstleutnant Wolfgang

Michalski left in 1995. He too

extolled the undoubted superiority

of the aircraft in close-in combat

saying: “On one occasion I

remember the F-16s did score

some kills eventually, but only

after taking 18 Archers. We didn’t

operate kill removal [forcing ‘killed’

aircraft to leave the fight] since

they’d have got no training value.

We killed them too quickly. They

couldn’t believe it at the debrief.”

In the early 1990s and into

the new millennia, the West and

NATO had nothing to match the

efficiency of the helmet-mounted

sight and the R-73 in close-air

combat. It is a testament to the

prowess of Soviet designers that they were

the first to field such a system.

However, the lack of range, relatively

inefficient radar and no air refuelling

capability were major factors mitigating

against allocating a meaningful air defence

role for the MiG-29s in the

Luftwaffe.

The primary mission for

the fighter during this period

was as an adversary aircraft

to train other Western pilots in

air combat and to this end the

unit was in constant demand in

Europe and the United States.

However, the jet’s role as a point

defence fighter was also retained

with two aircraft allocated to QRA

duties.

On October 1, 1999 the first

North American visit took place.

The six Fulcrums, not equipped

for air refuelling, flew to the

continent via Scotland, Iceland

and Greenland to Goose Bay,

Labrador.

Oberstleutnant Udo Sadzulewski was

among them. He said: “At Goose Bay we

trained in low-level flying down to 100ft. It

was very impressive to see the landscape of

Labrador from that low altitude.

“After that, we went to Nellis AFB to fly in

Oberstleutnant Udo Sadzulewski began

flying the MiG-29 with the NVA in 1988 after

nine years on the MiG-21. He remained

with JG 73 when that unit converted to the

Eurofighter, and now serves as the unit’s

Flight Safety Officer. via Oberstleutnant Udo

Sadzulewski

Maj Peter Meisberger fires a

radar-guided R-27 (AA-10 Alamo)

air-to-air missile at a QF-4 full-

scale, aerial target drone during

a live firing over the Gulf of

Mexico during Exercise Sniper in

October 2003. USAF Archives

28 Aviation News incorporating Jets April 2018

Swedish Air Force Saab Gripens visited

Laage in March 2002 to exercise with

the MiG-29s. Peter Steiniger

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