(MiG-29SMT) Incorrect modelling. Engine, armament, optics

The MiG-29SMT is a Russian jet in the USSR tech tree at battle rating 13.3.
At 13.3, the MiG-29SMT gets a bundle of issues. Let’s go over them.

First: The engines. In Warthunder, as well as real life, the MiG-29 SMT uses the Klimov RD-33 Series 3 turbofan engines, with a rated take-off thrust of 8300 kgf, while the in-game RD-33 Series 3 engines produce 6820 kgf, severely limiting this aircraft’s TWR.

Second: The ground-attack armament. While the in-game SMT can only take either 4 KAB-500S (GNSS guided bomb), 4 KAB-500Kr (TV Guided bomb) and 2 Kh-29TD (TV Guided AGM), as well as lacking a targeting laser pod, the real MiG-29SMT can carry all of the above (save for the KAB-500S), as well as 4 Kh-25L, 2 Kh-29L and a targeting pod T-220/e on the starboard engine nacelle.

For an aircraft at 13.3, the MiG-29SMT is
A: Quite literally under-powered, lacking a staggering 1,480 kgf of thrust

B: Lacks its proper armament, being both AGM’s and guided bombs

C: Lacks its proper optics, being the T220/e targeting pod, reducing situational awareness.

Gaijin, please fix.

Sources: - MiG-29SMT, upgraded MiG-29UB aircraft

https://web.archive.org/web/20151002013819/http://migavia.ru/index.php/en/production/the-mig-29-fighters-family/mig-29smt-mig-29ub-upgraded?limit=1&start=2

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You’re comparing uninstalled and installed thrust, ofc it’s gonna have less thrust when it’s installed in the air craft

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Unless you’re actively and constantly starving the engine, you’re getting more thrust when installed on a moving aircraft. Moreover, even if we were in a world where jets acted like car engines and lost power when installed, the thrust on the in-game RD-33 Series 3 just happens to be the same thrust as the regular RD-33 in the MiG-29 9-13. Either way, your entire point is moot.

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You do know the aircraft in game already do this, it gains more thrust as speed ramps up, I’m just saying at 0 air speed the engines are not going to produce as much thrust as it does at 0 air speed on a bench

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Aircraft do lose a chunk of performance when installed though? Its called channel loss. WT has a fixed value they use for it regardless of airplane.

Anyways if you have enough evidence post them on a bug report.

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These numbers are super optimistic from reality due to the text I posted earlier but this is from the 29 aerodynamic hand book, this is installed
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the same aerodynamic study also states that the mig-29 ingame is missing thrust in game

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According to the source I posted above (the green text one from stone_wt it explains why the chart I posted right above is inaccurate

405 40540504050405 I LVOE 405 error

if you dont belive me that it is missing thrust then i cant help you

https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/2SvPmiiBjK5j
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First I’ve heard of “channel loss” Care to elaborate what it is and linking an article to it?

Here

Spoiler

After the MiG-29 was added to War Thunder, we received many questions, why the static thrust of the aircraft in the game is lower than that declared by the manufacturer. There are many reasons for this, let us list the main ones.

Static thrust in full afterburner mode and no afterburner max speed are 8,300 kgf and 5,040 kgf. This thrust is given by the manufacturer for conditions of 0 m and 0 km/h, without taking into account the loss of thrust in the air intake ducts, power supply of onboard equipment and other factors that rise when the engine is mounted in the aircraft.

According to the main source about the aircraft (“Аэродинамика самолёта МиГ-29”) ", the static thrust of the installed engine in the full afterburner mode (see “ПОЛНЫЙ ФОРСАЖ”) is about 8,000 kgf, and in the maximum speed mode (see “МАКСИМАЛ”) about 4,900 kgf, which are 300 kgf and 100 kgf, respectively, lower than declared. The graphs below do not reflect the influence of the MiG-29 inlet devices, which are represented by the blow-in door of the critical section of the air intake duct at the inlet, as well as the upper air intakes. In the take-off mode, the blow-in doors completely block the axial inlet of the air intake to prevent solid objects from entering it and damaging the engine, and all air supply to the engine goes through small slots in the lower part of the door, as well as through the upper inlet. The engine in this mode operates with a lack of air and is not able to gain the thrust indicated in graphs 3.16 and 3.17.

At lower speeds the listed performance can not be achieved either. Due to the uneven mixing of flows from the upper and axial inlets, the air flow at the air intake is unstable, which results in the engine not having sufficient air supply. This phenomenon is described in the same source.

Furthermore, the engine is controlled and adjusted by a number of automatic systems, which may also cut thrust and engine speed.

As a result, the listed factors reduce the available thrust, affecting it most at lower speeds. The graph of the available thrust displays the full afterburner and full speed modes. Since our flight model operates the available thrust, this static available thrust is presented in the engine performance in the game.

The estimated available thrust also coincides with the estimates indirectly calculated from the graphs of the available longitudinal acceleration Nx (Fig. 5.3, 5.4), which, in fact, display the aircraft’s thrust-to-weight ratio minus the required thrust. The amount of available thrust is also confirmed by the graphs of maximum speeds, graphs of rate of climb, graphs of turn rates, as well as the take-off rate from the moment the brakes are released and the available acceleration at the start (paragraph 8.3.2 of the source). At the moment, the aircraft in the game shows all these characteristics quite close to the declared ones or even slightly exceeds them.

Source

Spoiler

sigma boy sigma

image

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The Mig-29SMT’s flight model is correct.

The engines have their correct thrust post 600kph.

8300kgf is uninstalled, 6820kgf is correct for being installed in an aircraft that chokes the engines on takeoff to prevent FOD.

It’s not missing thrust, it’s thrust curve is incorrect.
Its static thrust is correct, its at-speed thrust is correct.
The curve from ~380kph to ~600kph is wrong.

means it is missing thrust at certain speeds

so it is missing thrust