re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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At least one Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter is flying with what appears to be a new and previously unseen kind of underwing pylon system. While we currently don’t know the exact purpose of this pylon, it raises some very interesting questions, especially bearing in mind the previous adaptations that have been made to the MiG-29 (and other Soviet-era combat aircraft) to allow them to carry new weapons of Western origin.

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Especially intriguing is the origin of this photo. It was posted today to the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian Air Force, together with the caption “New day — new challenges!” That phrase could well suggest that some new kind of capability is being used. Either way, the fact that the Ukrainian Air Force chose to publicize this particular photo also indicates they are happy to show something of that new capability, whatever it might be.

The photo in question depicts the underside of an airborne MiG-29 with the full complement of six underwing pylons, but no armament attached to them. An external fuel tank is carried on the centerline. The jet has a distinctive off-white nose radome, suggesting the MiG is probably not one of those provided to Ukraine from Polish or Slovakian Air Force stocks.

Regardless of the origin of this particular MiG-29, the intriguing aspect of the photo is the appearance of the two extended inner underwing pylons, closest to the engine nacelles. Normally, these would be used for the AKU-470 launch rails that each accommodate a single R-27R (AA-10 Alamo) air-to-air missile (AAM), with semi-active radar guidance. Infrared-guided R-27Ts can also be carried but are rarely seen.

For close to a year, Ukrainian MiG-29s have also been using an ad-hoc pylon for the carriage of the U.S.-supplied AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM).

However, the pylons seen in this photo are not like either of those options. Key features are their length, or more particularly the degree to which they project out ahead of the wing leading edge. The color is also unusual, either a light gray or even white on the main part of the launch rail itself. There appear to be quadruple shackles on each pylon, of the kind normally associated with securing a heavier piece of ordnance. Finally, the pylon has a long shape with a rounded end cap that could be somewhat similar to something that would contain an electronic warfare emitter or passive radio frequency detector.

All in all, the photo suggests we are looking at a pylon that’s either associated with a new type of air-launched weapon that’s been introduced on the Ukrainian MiG-29 or that the pylon itself is of a new type that incorporates some kind of combat-related subsystem. Another very real possibility is that it packs both functions. Integrating electronic warfare and defensive countermeasures onto weapons pylons is a widely used concept.

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