The Ukrainian Air Force has shared an extremely interesting photo of a MiG-29 fighter equipped with new pylons. It should be noted that, judging by its appearance, this aircraft does not belong to Polish or Slovak assistance.
The corresponding photo is official and publicly posted. Moreover, it includes the caption “new day – new challenges”, which may indicate truly significant events.
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The standard AKU-470 pylons for the R-27 air-to-air missile are located closer to the center, other pylons are unidentified. Notably, these pylons appear to be longer than the standard 2.9-meter length of the AKU-470 pylon.
The MiG-29 aircraft has already been integrated with the Western LAU-118 pylon, which is used for launching anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM missiles. However, it should be noted that this pylon is significantly shorter compared to the unidentified pylons.
Additionally, shorter pylons are used for launching AIM-120 missiles, the integration of which onto Soviet-era aircraft is particularly challenging. Similarly, the AIM-9 missiles also require shorter pylons. For instance, pylons such as the LAU-127/128/129 (used on F/A-18, F-15 and F-16) have a length of 2.7 meters.
There have been theories suggesting that the unidentified pylons could be designed for AIM-7 or IRIS-T missiles, but integrating these missiles onto Soviet-era aircraft poses significant challenges.
However, what deserves attention are the attachments on the pylons, which resemble those typically used for bomb racks or other large payloads, following the Soviet standard. It is objectively possible to consider all other variants of pylons for the MiG-29 besides those intended for air-to-air missiles. For example, it is relatively easy to find photos of experimental MiG-29 aircraft with the FAB-500 bombs mounted on long pylons.
Indeed, it should not be ruled out that this could be a new development, where the front section of the pylon houses sensors, including those for detecting electronic warfare stations. However, despite all the possible theories regarding new weaponry, it is highly unlikely that an official photo released by the Ukrainian Air Force would inadvertently reveal entirely new capabilities.
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