Warplanes: October 22, 2001

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MiG Corporation has unveiled a new two-seat version of its MiG-29 (designated MiG-29M2) which has an "expanded multi-role capability". It first flew on 26 September and recently appeared at an air show in Peru. While the MiG-29M2 has many common parts with the basic MiG-29, it has larger wings so it can carry 4,500kg of weapons on eight hardpoints on the wings (along with more internal fuel). At normal take-off weight, the extra internal fuel extends the combat range to 2,000 kilometers. To ensure that the aircraft is capable of many missions, MiG Corporation has fitted the MiG-29M2 with an open-architecture avionics system built around the Zhuk-M radar and an optronic passive sensor. This allows the aircraft to carry a huge variety of weapons including the Kh-31A supersonic anti-ship missile.--Stephen V Cole