Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27UPG - "Achilles' Heel"

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Would you like to see the MiG-27UPG in game?
  • Yes, as a tech tree vehicle
  • Yes, as a premium vehicle
  • Yes, as an event vehicle
  • Yes, as a squadron vehicle
  • No, I would not like to see the MiG-27UPG in game.
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🇮🇳 MiG-27UPG ‘Bahadur’ 🇮🇳

This front shot of a MiG-27UPG provides a good view of what makes it special, with a new laser rangefinder unit, new radar warning receiver antennae and revised pitot tubes being the most obvious while the starboard countermeasure pack can be seen just below the intake. The primary area of upgrade for the MiG-27UPG (sometimes called MiG-27 Upgrade, MiG-27H, or MiG-27ML UPG, though MiG-27UPG seems to be the most official) concerns its onboard systems, not least of which is the integration with targeting pods such as the LITENING III.

Introduction

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      As a large nation with various territories, India’s Air Force has always taken particular care to have large amounts of good quality aircraft ready for various different roles. With conflicts occurring frequently since the nation’s independence, there are ample opportunities to assess the performance of current inventory and decide what to do for the future. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the IAF and Indian government were drawn toward procurement from the Soviet Union due to worsening relations with Western suppliers.

      One of the more interesting aircraft to be acquired by the IAF during this time was the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27ML ‘Bahadur’ (in English this word means Gallant, Brave, or Valiant). While generally similar to the MiG-27M used by the Soviet Air Force, it is notable since only a few countries ever procured the MiG-27, with most opting for the MiG-23BN instead. India purchased a total of around 165 MiG-27MLs, with most being license built. Its thunderous 30mm gatling gun was surely a factor in its adoption, and it had a good attack/navigation computer for the time. However, while it was used to good effect in the 1999 Kargil War, it was quickly becoming clear that the MiG-27ML was outdated.

      Using indigenous facilities and technical know-how, DARE, along with HAL and the IAF, began an upgrade program for around forty of the MiGs in the mid-2000’s. The resulting MiG-27UPG was considered viable for service for another 15 years, and for good reason. A new cockpit layout with digital systems made operation more automated and comfortable. In addition its precision strike capability and EW suite were brought up to a comparable level to other aircraft in the IAF inventory. While proving to be a robust, high speed low altitude attack platform, the MiG-27UPG did have one Achilles’ heel which would prove to spell the end of the MiG-27’s service in India. The MiG-27ML still served with distinction for 35 years and would gain respect as an essential element of India’s air power.


TL;DR

  • Supersonic variable geometry fighter/bomber derivative of the MiG-23 with a focus on ground attack capability
  • Updated cockpit puts essential info right where the pilot needs it
  • Upgraded navigation and targeting system allows for precision strikes even with ‘dumb’ munitions
  • Armed with laser-guided bombs and air-to-surface missiles
  • High-power targeting pod further enhances precision capability
  • R-73 missiles for improved self defense
  • Tarang Mk.2 digital radar warning receiver gives 360 degree coverage, and a jamming pod is available
  • Low countermeasure count - 42 charges
  • No HMS system

      Why it should be in the game: The MiG-27UPG would give India historical and powerful air support for the current (as of the time of writing) Indian subtree or a future independent Indian tech tree. This interesting blend of a Soviet-era airframe with modern electronics and weapons is a force to be reckoned with. It may not be the most maneuverable, nor have the best countermeasure count, but it’s perfect for what it was built to do: going low and fast to deliver precision strikes against enemy ground targets. At the same time, its enhanced targeting equipment and weaponry allows for potent long range support. The MiG-27UPG will also only become better with age if ECM starts being implemented, allowing the true strengths of the aircraft’s upgrade to shine.

It might not be the most effective part of the MiG-27’s arsenal, but the 30mm GSh-6-30 is certainly the most impressive. This MiG-27UPG, most easily identifiable by the conspicuous countermeasures dispensers toward the back and revised nose, is firing its main gun in a shallow dive. The new laser rangefinder gives its weapon greater accuracy. Funnily enough, the gun camera reportedly couldn’t function due to the rotary cannon’s excessive vibrations.

History

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      The history of the MiG-27UPG naturally begins with the history of the MiG-27 itself. In the mid-1960’s the Soviet Air Force determined that a new ground attack aircraft would be necessary to keep up with the rapid advancements in jet technology. At the time they used the MiG-17F and Su-7 which had various deficiencies - both aircraft were subsonic at low altitude (the Su-7 effectively so due to payload drag) and had limited range. In addition they were primarily designed as fighters and did not have good field of view or pilot protection for ground strike missions. The Su-17 was also being made at the time, but did nothing to address visibility issues from the cockpit. Therefore Mikoyan-Gurevich was approached and asked to make an attack aircraft. With the MiG-23 fighter exhibiting good speed characteristics, variable-geometry wings for better takeoff performance, and being the big new fighter of the VVS, it came forward as the easiest aircraft to modify for this purpose. The new MiG-23B had its radar set deleted for a revised nose with a much better downward field of view. It originally used the Lyulka AL-21F but was re-engined to the Tumansky R-29B-300, which among other changes was incorporated into the popular MiG-23BN. This eventually evolved into the MiG-27, which was a more radical alteration than previous versions and improved navigation and attack systems. It deleted the variable intake ramps, lowering the maximum supersonic speed, but simplifying maintenance and saving weight. In exchange the cockpit was armored and the GSh-23L cannon was replaced with the monstrous GSh-6-30 rotary cannon for better performance against hard targets. Both the landing gear and stores pylons were strengthened for greater weapon capacity.

While not the main topic of this post, India did procure a good amount of MiG-23BN attack aircraft as well as a few MiG-23MF interceptors. The MiG-23BNs appear to have been given the same countermeasures dispensers as the MiG-27UPG (not shown in this photo) before their retirement in 2009 but none of the other upgrades.

      As it stood, the Su-17 ended up being the cheaper and more popular aircraft which received export orders numbering over 1,000 and total production being well over 2,000. It was not for a lack of attention on the VVS’s part; the MiG-27 was viewed as highly capable and quality was better than quantity. However it did not catch on with the export market since it was generally reserved for Soviet forces, with one major exception: India, who were looking for an attack plane with better capabilities than their MiG-21 interceptors, imported Su-7BMK fighter-bombers and indigenous Marut fighter-bombers. India procured and license built 90 MiG-23BNs out of a planned total of 95, which they called ‘Vijay’ (meaning victory in English), followed up by 150 MiG-27MLs out of a planned total of 165 which earned the name of ‘Bahadur’ (meaning gallant or brave). The MiG-27ML was overall extremely similar to the MiG-27M, just with some slight avionics changes, and the first locally assembled one was delivered in 1984. Production continued until the mid-90’s with the license built MiG-27s equipping nine squadrons.

Even before the MiG-27UPG program, efforts were made to improve the performance of the MiG-27ML. It appears that the R-73 AAM was integrated with the aircraft, but not the Kh-31 AGM. According to Yefim Gordon, the MiG-27’s AAMs could be carried either under the wing gloves or on the outer fuselage pylons beneath the intakes, but not both at once. The same would presumably apply to the R-73. As the IAF thought, just putting these new weapons on the MiG-27 would not fix its underlying issues, and so a comprehensive overhaul was needed.

      While the ‘Vijay’ would see some action in the 80’s, the ‘Bahadur’ had no such luck (or good luck, depending on how you look at it). Its one trial of fire was during the 1999 Kargil War. The MiG-27 was deployed to provide air support for India’s army against Pakistani incursions beyond the Line of Control into claimed Indian territory. There are mixed accounts of the aircraft’s performance since visibility was low in the unique conditions of the battlefield, making ground attack especially difficult for aircraft without precision guidance units. On the other hand, only one single MiG-27 was lost due to an engine flameout or possibly a MANPADS hit - the pilot survived and was released from Pakistani custody relatively quickly. The conflict was overall relatively brief and the Pakistani incursion was unsuccessful, but the conflict drew painful attention to deficiencies in India’s response. One of these sore areas was the performance of older aircraft types in ground support - while the modern Mirage 2000H fighters were able to use precision weapons and targeting pods, the dedicated ground strike aircraft had trouble doing their jobs. The MiG-27 also had a cramped cockpit with poor pilot ergonomics. Even before this conflict, India was looking into upgrading the capabilities of the MiG-27, but now they were keenly interested in it.

The upgraded cockpit seen here is a clear improvement over the legacy MiG-27. Digital MFDs and revised dashboard layout makes the pilot’s job much easier. Coupled with new avionics, it was set to extend the aircraft’s life span by another 20 years. Unfortunately things would take a turn for the worse soon enough.

      It was decided that a limited amount of MiG-27MLs (around 40) would be brought up to MiG-27UPG standard in the early 2000’s. Downsized digital computers allowed for more space to be freed up in the aircraft, which was used for new EW systems and attack computers. The upgrades included a comprehensive self-defense suite, including new countermeasure packs (with relatively limited capacity), digital RWR, and jamming equipment. Meanwhile, the attack capabilities of the aircraft were enhanced with a new laser rangefinder, indigenous attack computer algorithms, and PGW capability. The cockpit was revised to give pilots better access to the information they needed, and overall it was a solid upgrade, though it had a fatal flaw. Firstly, but less importantly, the planned IFR probe doesn’t ever seem to have been fitted, reducing the aircraft’s operational range. The big issue was the lack of a new engine. During the conceptual phase, it was decided to use the Saturn AL-31F to improve performance and have parts commonality with the IAF’s existing fleet of Su-30MKIs. This got as far as powering one or two prototypes and required some rearrangement of the MiG-27’s internals, but ultimately was promising and could be applied to India’s other MiG-23 family aircraft. However the engine change was not followed through on. The age of the Tumansky R-29B-300s that powered the MiG-27s, along with poor servicing by HAL, led to a high loss rate for an already tricky to fly aircraft. The majority of accidents were due to engine defects. Therefore, with issues piling up even after having grounded the MiG fleet in 2010, the MiG-27ML and MiG-27UPG were retired on December 27, 2019, marking 35 years of service for the aircraft. With the relatively large fleet of over 100 MiG-27s retiring, the IAF lost several squadrons worth of air power, and the gap has yet to be fully resolved.


Specifications

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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27UPG

Dimensions:

  • Span:
    • 13.97 m (45 ft 10 in) @ minimum sweep
    • 7.78 m (25 ft 6 in) @ maximum sweep
  • Length: 17.14 m (56 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area:
    • 37.27 m2 (401.17 ft2) @ minimum sweep
    • 34.16 m2 (367.70 ft2) @ maximum sweep

Weight:

  • 11,908 kg (26,253 lb) empty
  • 20,500 kg (45,195 lb) MTOW

Propulsion:

  • 1 x Tumansky R-29B-300 turbojet engine
    • 7,950 kgf (17,527 lbf) static thrust (dry)
    • 8,268 kgf (18,228 lbf) optimal thrust (dry)
    • 10,208 kgf (22,505 lbf) static thrust (reheat)
    • 12,633 kgf (27,851 lbf) optimal thrust (reheat)

Thrust to weight ratio (static, MTOW):

  • 0.38 dry
  • 0.49 wet

Maximum speed:

  • 1,350 km/h (839 mph) @ sea level
  • 1,810 km/h (1,125 mph) @ 12,500 m (41,010 ft)

Service ceiling: 15,600 m (51,181 ft)

Armament:

  • Guns:
    • 1 x GSh-6-30 30mm rotary cannon (300 rounds)
    • Up to 2 x SPPU-22-01 23mm gun pod (260 rounds each, 520 total)
  • Air-to-air missiles:
    • Up to 4 x R-60 IR-homing air-to-air missile
    • Up to 2 x R-73 IR-homing air-to-air missile
  • Bombs:
    • Up to 22 x FAB-100 general purpose bomb
    • Up to 9 x FAB-250M-54 general purpose bomb
    • Up to 9 x FAB-250M-62 low-drag general purpose bomb
    • Up to 8 x FAB-500M-54 general purpose bomb
    • Up to 8 x FAB-500M-62 low-drag general purpose bomb
  • Guided bombs:
    • Up to 4(?) x IAI Griffin laser-guided bomb
    • Up to 4 x KAB-500Kr TV-guided bomb
    • Up to 4 x KAB-500L laser-guided bomb
  • Rockets:
    • Up to 128 x S-5 57mm rocket
    • Up to 80 x S-8 85mm rocket
    • Up to 20 x S-13 122mm rocket
    • Up to 4 x S-24 240mm rocket
  • Air-to-ground missiles:
    • Up to 4 x Kh-25L/ML laser-guided missile
    • Up to 4 x Kh-25MR radio-command guided missile
    • Up to 2 x Kh-29L laser-guided missile
    • Up to 2 x Kh-29T TV-guided missile
  • Drop tanks:
    • Up to 3 x PTB-800 800 liter drop tank

Crew: 1

Additional equipment:

  • LRMTS laser rangefinder and target tracking system
  • LITENING III targeting pod
  • Tarang Mk.2 radar warning receiver
    • Coverage: E-J band (2 GHz - 18 GHz)
  • ELTA EL/L-8222 jamming pod
  • Countermeasures dispensers:
    • 2 x dispenser on fuselage sides (15 charges each, 30 total)
    • 1 x dispenser in central pylon (12 charges)
  • Digital multi function display
  • Ballistic computer: cannon, rockets, and bombs (CCIP/CCRP)
  • Ejection seat

Sources

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I’d be happy if it was added to the subpage to the Mig27 in the USSR
The USSR has only 1 airplane with a thermal imager in a container.

4 Likes
4

wanted to say no to the 3rd mig27 but the r73 is not rejectable lol

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2 Likes
6

India should come as a sub-tree of the UK and the UK should be in the Commonwealth tree.

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7

If added it should go to Russia, but I bet it will go to Britain instead. Gonna get a MiG-27 for Britain before we get a Hawk.

8

I’m confused. Why’s the thrust to weight higher when wet? Shouldn’t it be lower cause it’s heavier with fuel?

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‘wet’ refers to the injection of fuel into the exhaust section of a jet engine, i.e. afterburning (or reheating, if you’re british)

3 Likes