Ukrainian warplane sports bold new look for tactical advantage
The War Zone portal noted photos of a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet with very unusual paint. It's unclear why the aircraft was given these colors.
The black MiG-29, featuring contrasting blue and yellow accents, is part of the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force. It has been in use for several months, but only recently have videos and photos been published on social media, allowing for a closer look at this aircraft.
Ukrainian MiG-29 in unusual paint scheme
The War Zone explains that the contrasting blue and yellow accents on the edges of the wings, ailerons, and tail are designed to ensure quick visual identification. This reduces the risk of "friendly fire" incidents.
The nose of the aircraft features a design reminiscent of the "Ghost of Kyiv," a motif that emerged at the start of the Ukrainian-Russian war and is seen as a morale booster for the defending army. It refers to a nickname given to a MiG-29 pilot credited with shooting down several Russian aircraft during the defense of Kyiv in 2022.
The mystery remains as to why the Ukrainian fighter jet was mostly repainted in black. The War Zone notes that this is an unusual approach. Using "pixelated" gray colors is generally intended to reduce the visibility of fighters during daytime combat flights, while black seems to have the opposite effect. An example provided is the Royal Air Force, which paints its training aircraft black specifically to increase their visibility and reduce the risk of collisions.
The basic combat aircraft of Ukrainians
Despite reinforcements from the West in the form of transfers of F-16s and French Mirage 2000-5Fs, the MiG-29 remains the most numerous combat aircraft in the service of the Ukrainian Air Force. They possessed these aircraft before Russia's invasion, and have received more from some allies, including Poland, which handed over several MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.
The primary armament of the MiG-29 is the GSz-30-1 aircraft cannon with a 30 mm caliber. However, it can also carry additional armament with a total weight of up to 12,000 lbs on external pylons. This includes air-to-air missiles or bombs. The MiG-29 was the first Ukrainian combat aircraft adapted to use French AASM Hammer bombs.
