The MiG-29 fighter aircraft project, featuring a lifting body fuselage and a blended wing in which there is no clear division between fuselage and centre section, began to take shape at the Mikoyan design bureau in the USSR at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. The prototype was first flown on 6 October 1977.
In 1981, the two-seat combat trainer variant MiG-29UB was first flown, lacking a radar and therefore having reduced combat capabilities. In 1982, serial production began. In NATO code, the aircraft received the designation Fulcrum-A. The MiG-29 has a weapons control system consisting of the S-29 radar with a range of 70-100 km, the KOLS-29 optical locator coupled with a laser rangefinder, and the Shchel-3UM helmet-mounted target designator. These systems are controlled by two C-100 onboard computers.
The first 12 machines of this type arrived in Poland in 1989-1990, and a further 10 were purchased from the Czech Republic in exchange for Sokol helicopters. They serve with the 1st Tactical Aviation Squadron at Minsk Mazowiecki.
The MiG-29UB, donated to the Museum in April 2008, is an exhibit with a particularly notable history, having been involved in political changes in Europe. This aircraft was delivered in the late 1980s to the military air force of East Germany (Luftstreitkräfte der NVA). After German reunification, the MiG-29s were taken over by the Bundesluftwaffe, thus becoming the first Soviet-made combat aircraft type in service with a NATO member state. The German MiG-29s were operated by JG 73 Steinhoff at Laage air base.
In 2002, Germany decided to withdraw the MiG-29s from service. The aircraft were sold to Poland for 1 euro. After necessary overhauls, they were assigned to the 41st Tactical Aviation Squadron at Malbork. Specimen no. 4115 was withdrawn in 2007 and transferred to the Museum.
| Wingspan | 11.36 m |
| Length | 17.32 m |
| Takeoff weight | 15 600 kg |
| Maximum speed | 2400 km/h (Ma 2.3) |
| Ceiling | 18 000 m |
| Range | 1430 km |
| Armament | GSh-301 cannon cal. 30 mm and up to 2000 kg of underwing ordnance (R-60 air-to-air guided missiles, bombs or unguided rocket launchers) |
| Engine | two RD-33 turbofan engines with 81.4 kN thrust with afterburner |
