Airpower
The twin-engine MiG-29 represented a major advancement when it first entered service in 1982. “The aircraft’s exceptional thrust-to-weight ratio, agility and the first operational helmet-cued sighting system for the R-73 [infrared]-guided dogfighting missile made it almost unbeatable in a [one-on-one, within-visual-range] engagement,” Justin Bronk, an analyst with the London-based Royal United Services Institute, wrote in an October report. “For its time, the radar was also competitive with those carried by other light fighters such as the American F-16C.”
