MiG fighter (Red Alert 3)

"MiG, ready to rule the skies!"

- MiG pilot

The MiG Fighter was the Soviet Union's air superiority fighter during the Third World War and The Uprising.

Background
After the spectacular explosion of the prototype KA-3 Tesla plane killed both Krasna Aerospace's lead aircraft designer and test pilot, the state of Soviet fighter design was in shambles. Krasna was in disarray, and industry analysts predicted that the Soviet Union would not be able to field a credible air superiority fighter for at least a decade. They could not have foreseen that two young visionary designers, Mikevich and Gurevoyan, would join forces to create one of the most successful air superiority fighters in the world.

The MiG fighter was in every way a revolutionary design. Its main weapon system was able to accurately track and destroy enemy aircraft even when confronted with the most advanced in electronic aerial countermeasures. The MiG's burst-missiles earned their "Matryosha" nickname from the Russian dolls-within-dolls, due to the missiles' multiple sub-warheads that caused explosive damage inside their targets. This made the MiG well suited to both intercepting enemy air threats and escorting Soviet bombers and ground attack aircraft.

It was also the first Soviet production fighter aircraft to have full VTOL capability, allowing it to deploy at forward airbases near the front lines. In normal flight, a sleek aerodynamic design gave the MiG excellent speed and maneuverability, though the transition between vertical and horizontal flight was somewhat unwieldy, due to a lack of precision-machined parts.

Designed from the ground up as an air superiority fighter, the MiG fighter did not have air-to-ground capability, making it vulnerable to anti-air fire, and MiG pilots were advised to immediately retreat when faced with such threats. In particular, after an incident near Vladivostok, the Soviet Military Affairs Bureau advised all MiG pilots to use extreme caution when attacking Imperial Chopper-VX aircraft. Thanks to technology from an Allied defector named M. Walker, the MiG was equipped with an auto-pilot device that would automatically cause it to return to an available airfield, while simultaneously calibrating the trajectory to offset air currents, allowing for a significantly more rapid retreat.

The aura of prestige shared by cadets in the Air Combat Division has thoroughly permeated civilian life, allowing the Soviet military to begin recruiting candidates straight from elementary school. Political officers scour schools for boys and girls with just the right balance of daring, aggression, and patriotism--qualities that are then honed for years at the Soviet Military Affairs Bureau. Even with the rigorous selection process, less than half of the candidates will graduate; all will find a career in military services in one form or another, however.

Overview
The end result is a formidable air dominance fighter, with a revolutionary design. Its main weapon, the Type M burst missile, can accurately track and destroy enemy aircraft, no matter how many electronic countermeasures they use, thanks to the multiple smaller warheads embedded in each missile. In addition, the missile is capable of doing splash damage, thanks to its clustered warheads. As a missile, it takes more room in MiGs than the bullets in the Allied and Imperial counterparts. Therefore, MiGs deplete their ammo faster and are more fragile, due to its exposed hardpoints.

Markedly, it is the first Soviet fighter to have full VTOL capability, allowing it to be deployed close to the front line from temporary airbases. However, due to the lack of precision-machined parts in mass produced fighters, the transition from hovering to flight is not as smooth as one might think - many flight students are unable to perform the maneuver of transitioning, much to the chagrin of flight instructors. However, once mastered, flying the MiG is surprisingly straightforward.

Cadets for the prestigious Soviet National Air Combat Division are picked by political officers, who scour schools for girls and boys that possess just the right mix of daring, aggression, and patriotism, qualities that are then honed for years by the Soviet Military Affairs Bureau.

The image of a fighter pilot is an alluring one in the Soviet society. The prospect of a brave defender of the Motherland in a fighter inspires, even dissidents, such as Boris Denisov, creator of The Empty Chair documentary.

In-game unit
"Can't handle it?"

- MiG while attacking the enemy

A clever tactic for MiGs involves using the Return to Base ability to catch up with fast-flying enemy aircraft. If an enemy aircraft is heading in the vague direction of the MiG's home Airfield, and the MiG cannot quite catch up with the enemy (e.g. an enemy Apollo Fighter), then the MiG can engage its Return to Base special ability afterburners, and thanks to the vastly increased speeds with the afterburners on, the MiG can catch up to the enemy, turn off the afterburners once it catches up, and blast the enemy aircraft out of the sky.

Dollar for dollar, MiGs are superior to Empire of the Rising Sun's Jet Tengus. Allied Apollo fighters, however, are still a threat, possessing greater speed and in a one-on-one battle it will typically win.

Changelog

 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.08:
 * speed reduced to 210 from 225
 * doubled vulnerability to attack from units other than the Apollo fighter, Jet Tengu, and other MiG fighters
 * Red Alert 3 patch 1.11: health increased to 240 from 200

Created

 * MiG, ready on the launch pad!
 * MiG, ready to rule the skies!

Select

 * Headquarters?
 * Someone to fight?
 * Who's up for a spar?
 * You got a sucker for me?
 * The People's Air Force!
 * Soviet air superiority!
 * MiG Fighter!

Moving

 * Top speed!
 * Under control!
 * Got it command!
 * The sky is ours!
 * On approach!
 * Plenty of gas!
 * Scanning for hostiles!
 * Red skies!
 * Flying full throttle!

Move to Attack

 * You and me!
 * Let's get busy!
 * To the death!
 * Leave it to me!
 * Knock him out!
 * Come and get it!
 * Let's see what they got!
 * Stand and fight!
 * Fangs out!
 * Bandit sighted!
 * Let's finish this quickly!

In combat

 * I've got this one!
 * I'll make ace in no time!
 * Gonna call your mommy?
 * I'm not done with you!
 * Can't handle it?
 * MiG pilot on alert!

Return to Base

 * I could use a time out!
 * Returning for reload!
 * I need to rearm!

Retreating

 * Let's get out of here!
 * Ready the repair crew!
 * I need to fall back!

Under fire

 * I've been hit!
 * They got my fuselage!
 * They're on me!

Shoot Down

 * MiG going down! I repeat, MiG GOING DOWN...!
 * For the Russia!
 * Fight on, comrades!

Trivia

 * Mikevich and Guroyan are a play on the names of the real life creators of the MiG aircraft line: Mikoyan and Gurevich (Микоян и Гуревич). This MiG resembles a cross between the real life MiG-15 and F-7U Cutlass fighters.
 * The 'infamous M. Walker' mentioned above may be a reference to John Walker, who was an American spy in real-life that betrayed US submarine secrets to the Soviets.
 * The central fuselage appears to be from a MiG-15/17/19, while the engines on the wings seem to have the nose cones from a pair of MiG-21s.
 * Early concept art resembled the more modern MiG-29, albeit more rounded and with canards.
 * There is an unused special ability effect in the game's file named "AttributeModifier_SovietFighterEvasiveManeuver", which would make its user invulnerable for 5 seconds. Presumably, this was the MiG fighter's original special ability before it was replaced by Return to Base.