Ukrainian Air Force publishes photo of MiG-29 with mysterious missile pylons

The Ukrainian Air Force on Twitter posted a picture of a MiG-29 fighter jet. The image shows the mysterious missile pylons.

Here's What We Know

At least one MiG-29 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force has a previously unseen pylon system under its wings. The photo was captioned with the words "New day - new challenges". It is possible that by publishing the photo the service is hinting at new capabilities of the aircraft.

In the photo we can see the underside of the fighter with six pylons, but without armament. An external fuel tank is located in the centre. The colour of the nose fairing suggests that this MiG-29 did not come from Poland or Slovakia.

Regardless of the origins of the aircraft, the presence of two elongated pylons draws attention. Usually this is where the R-27R (AA-10 Alamo) semi-active radar guided air-to-air missiles are located. Also since last year Ukraine has been using AGM-88 HARMs.

However, the pylons in the photo do not resemble any of the above variants. Its main feature is its greater length. It is probably associated with a new type of weapon. It is possible that the mount is intended for JDAM-ER smart bombs.

Ukraine has also received AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-9 Sparrow missiles. However, they can be used in "ground-to-air" operations, i.e. in air defence systems, as it is done with AIM-120 AMRAAM and IRIS-T.

Source: The War Zone