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For other planes of the same name, see MiG. |
| “ | MiG, ready to rule the skies! - MiG pilot |
” |
The MiG Fighter is a Soviet anti-aircraft fighter used during the War of the Three Powers and the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising.
History
| “ | Ready to fight? - MiG pilot |
” |
The MiG is a plane created by Mikevich and Guroyan, two young Soviet designers that joined forces to create a next-generation air superiority fighter after the fiasco of the KA-3 Tesla plane, the crash of which took the life of Krasna Aerospace's lead aircraft designer. With Krasna in disarray and predictions that the Soviet Union would be unable to create a credible air superiority fighter for at least a decade, the two began their work under the auspices of the Mikevich-Guroyan Aircraft Design Bureau.
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.
Abilities
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Return to Base | The MiG Fighter has been equipped with special thrusters which enable it to return to it's airfield with a much higher speed, thus often avoiding much enemy anti-air fire on the return to the airfield. It also enable commanders to return the MiGs should they get embroiled in a fight they cannot win. |
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.
Assessment
Pros
- Deals area damage, making it more effective against massed targets than Apollo fighters.
- Fast
- Can use its special ability to return to base faster
- Much more effective against large targets than Apollos because of burst damage.
- Available once Airfield has built (if the Super Reactor is destroyed or sold off, MiGs can still be built)
- A rival to the Apollo and superior to the Empire's Jet Tengu
Cons
- Delays between salvos will cause it to lose on-on-one to an Apollo of equal rank and health
- Limited ammo
- Airfields provide no repair capability to MiGs on their own; the airfield's bays must be included within the repair radius of a Crusher Crane, or else the MiG must hover a Crane to repair
- Weaker armor compared to even an unupgraded Apollo
- Can only attack air units
- Tier 2, unlike the Apollo fighter which is tier 1
Notes from the field
Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Mig Fighter:
• Forget me not! -- While the M-Type "Matryoshka" missile system takes a few moments to reacquire a target after the previous missile was fired, the missiles are fire-and-forget, giving the MiG the flexibility to break off the attack and move out of danger while the system is resetting for the next shot. The MiG can only carry a limited number of missiles, forcing it to return to base periodically to reload.
• Air Superiority -- Able to stand toe-to-toe with any other air combat plane in the world, the MiG commands respect and fear from Allied and Imperial pilots. Ground attack aircraft are especially vulnerable to its speed and powerful weaponry. Once the MiG is in range to fire, there is little on Earth that can escape from it.
• Check your six -- As powerful as the MiG is against aircraft, it is extremely vulnerable to ground based anti-air weapons. While some ground-based threats are obvious, appearances can be deceiving: After a recent incident near Vladivostok, the Soviet Military Affairs Bureau advises all MiG pilots to use extreme caution when attacking Imperial Chopper-VX aircraft.
• Anything you can do -- When the infamous defector M. Walker entered the Soviet embassy in Rome, he carried with him plans for an auto-pilot device that would automatically cause an aircraft to return to an available airfield, while simultaneously calibrating the trajectory to offset air currents, allowing for a significantly more rapid retreat . This Allied technology now graces the MiG fighter, increasing its already-impressive survivability.
Quotes
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.
Gallery
Final concept art
Mid concept art
Early concept art
On the flight
Videos
- C&C Red Alert 3 Mig Fighter Surveillance Footage
Surveillance Footage
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