Development
In the mid-1980s, a development of the original MiG-29 was proposed to meet the Soviet western front line requirement. It was required to be a multi-role fighter for the front line defensive air force to gain offensive strike ability. This development resulted in a single seat and a double seat variant. The proposal was then grounded as a result of shift in military strategy. The model was named "MiG-33" and later received the MiG-29ME designation for export market in the mid-1990s. A twin seat model of the standard, commonly known as the MiG-29MRCA, was the MAPO-MiG's primary contender for many international fighter aircraft bids, later evolved into the Mikoyan MiG-35. Six of these models were built before 1990. They were constantly upgraded with various components and one received experimental vector thrust engines which eventually became the MiG-29OVT. The model was again renamed as MiG-29M. The MiG-29M/M2 now belongs to the "new unified family" instead of the "MiG-29 fighters family" which comprise the older variants.
RAC MiG engineers have continually upgraded the model for better performance, seeking a possible sale of the aircraft. The innovations focused on aerodynamics improvements, fly-by-wire technology, stealth features, increased fuel capacity and in-flight refueling solutions, more weight load, and well established open architecture for application of foreign equipment. Together with the MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-35, the MiG-29M/M2 also took advantage of new technologies, such as the new enhanced thrust smokeless engines. New reliability measures resulted in a decrease of flight hour cost and the capability of on-condition maintenance. These new technologies gave the aircraft contemporary features and true multi-role capability.
Read more about this topic: Mikoyan MiG-29M
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“The man, or the boy, in his development is psychologically deterred from incorporating serving characteristics by an easily observable fact: there are already people around who are clearly meant to serve and they are girls and women. To perform the activities these people are doing is to risk being, and being thought of, and thinking of oneself, as a woman. This has been made a terrifying prospect and has been made to constitute a major threat to masculine identity.”
—Jean Baker Miller (20th century)
“I’ve always been impressed by the different paths babies take in their physical development on the way to walking. It’s rare to see a behavior that starts out with such wide natural variation, yet becomes so uniform after only a few months.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“I do seriously believe that if we can measure among the States the benefits resulting from the preservation of the Union, the rebellious States have the larger share. It destroyed an institution that was their destruction. It opened the way for a commercial life that, if they will only embrace it and face the light, means to them a development that shall rival the best attainments of the greatest of our States.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)