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| MiG-29 Fulcrum Fighter Jet Equipped with Anti-Radiation Missiles |
Kiev - Ukraine's most advanced MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jet, the uniquely upgraded MiG-29MU2 is likely to engage in aerial combat against Russian aircraft and cruise missiles.
Kiev's only advanced MiG-29MU2 fighter jet was introduced to coincide with Ukrainian Air Force Day. Videos of the MiG-29MU2 surfaced on social media, most likely to coincide with Ukrainian Air Force Day, which is celebrated on 7 August. Prior to the outbreak of war with Russia the MiG-29MU2 of the Ukrainian Air Force was rarely seen.
The MiG-29MU2 fighter jet, differs from other Ukrainian MiG-29s in that it has precision-guided munitions capabilities. In early 2020, a photo emerged of a Ukrainian MiG-29 armed with the Kh-29T (AS-14 Kedge) air-to-surface missile.
Then in 2020, a photo emerged showing the MiG-29 carrying another type of precision-guided munition, a pair of KAB-500Kr TV 500 kilograms, guided bombs. Interestingly, photos that surfaced over the weekend on social media showed the wreckage of the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile, or HARM, that appeared on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Quoted from The War Zone, anti-radiation missiles work by capturing enemy radio frequency emissions, especially from radar arrays belonging to enemy air defense systems, and destroying or disabling them. At this time, there is no official information indicating that the AGM-88 has been supplied to Ukraine.
However, the fact that the optimized MiG-29MU2 reappeared at the same time, this is clearly not just a coincidence. The upgraded MiG-29MU2 codenamed 12 Blue is shown armed with a pair of radar-guided R-27R (AA-10 Alamo) and four R-73 heat-seeking air-to-air missiles (AA-11 Archer).
The MiG-29MU2 has now been spotted with full air-to-air armament suggesting it is used alongside other MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, primarily in the air defense role.