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Mikoyan MiG-AT

2002 MODERN AIRCRAFT X-PLANE

History of Mikoyan MiG-AT

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the reborn Russian Air Force entered a period of restricted spending and an overall decline, severely limiting acquisition opportunities. Nonetheless, the service has sought to modernize, and in addition to one of its many requirements, there is an urgent need to upgrade its Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) force, which consists of an aging fleet of Czech Airlines L-29 and L-39 aircraft (see elsewhere on this page).

This led to competition with the Yakovlev Yak-130 and the competing Mikoyan "MiG-AT". Ultimately, the Yak-130 was selected for the government contract, and only two airworthy MiG-AT prototypes remain from the now-canceled Mikoyan project.

Due to Russia's financial situation, Yakovlev has partnered with the Italian defense company Leonardo, while the MiG-AT has partnered with the French aircraft engine manufacturer SNECMA/Turbomeca. For the latter, the partnership was formed in 1992, with the two parties agreeing to equip the two airworthy prototypes they have with 2 Larzac turbofan engines to be self-powered.

In addition, French participation opens the door for the MiG-AT to be exported globally, offering a variant that can be sold to Western powers, equipped with French-made engines (SNECMA-Turbomeca Larzac 04R20 series) and Thales avionics equipment (by contrast, the Russian version of the same aircraft will focus on Russian engines - Aviadvigatel (Soyuz) RD1700 turbofans - and avionics).

Mikoyan engineers opted for a highly traditional design layout in their MiG-AT, consisting of a low-slung straight-wing main aircraft, a two-seat tandem cockpit (for students and instructors), and a traditional tail-plane that remained level at the center of the rudder. Aircraft (early designs saw the horizontal plane on the fins).

Twin-engine installations are usually side-by-side and suck through small side-mounted fuselage air intakes. A retractable tricycle landing gear is used for ground operation.

Internally, the aircraft has a composite structure. Fly-by-wire (FbW) software and hardware-assisted control make the design inherently unstable. In addition, the control scheme is designed to be customized by the operator, allowing the aircraft to be trained to mimic the flight characteristics of various operational Russian fighter jets.

The cockpit will feature common systems such as a wide-angle head-up display (HUD) and manual throttle and stick (HOTAS) - all designed to mimic modern fighter jets. Mission support will be mostly handled by the large multi-function display (MFD).

After ground tests in March 1996, the first flight of the MiG-AT prototype took place officially this month, 21 March. This form duly carried French engines and Western avionics. The second was in a full Russian configuration and was officially unveiled at the end of 1997.

It was publicly displayed internationally at the 2001 Paris Air Show.

Variants in the

series include the original two-seat MiG-AT AJT. It was followed by the MiG-AC, a proposed single-seat attack aircraft completely modified for the combat role and featuring shortened airframe components. Hybrid offers should also go live in the form of MiG-ATC. This version is designed to be a combined platform that enables AJT and light attack on a single platform, carries a helmet-mounted display (HMD) for the pilot, and has full support for air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles and throwing weapons.

None of the variants appeared.

In any case, the MiG-AT lost the 2002 resolution to the competitor Yak-130. Mikoyan's representatives tried to keep their project going - in fact, the certification was awarded by this type of interesting foreign buyer in 2004, but those moves failed.

Rumors of a possible restart of the MiG-AT program surfaced in June 2018, but these have yet to be confirmed.