MiG/Vepr OKB
MiG-28S/MiG-28UB *FishHook*
The MiG-28 was a
joint venture between Mikoyan & the Vepr OKB, the Soviet Union's premeir
naval aircraft bueroe. Intended to be a dedicated naval version of the MiG-26
(F-5A/B), the MiG-28 was produced from reverse-engineering a pair of American
F-5's (an E and a F), aquired from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after the
fall of Saigon in 1975. The prototype first flew in 1979, and serial production
began in 1981 at the Vepr OKB plant in central Kazakhstan. When NATO learned of
the MiG's existence, it was allocated the codename "FishHook".
While the Soviet Navy wasn't really impressed with the MiG-28 (preferring the
more advanced MiG-29K), it was a success among the eastern bloc nations, with
Poland among the major operators of the type. One of the first non-eastern bloc
nations to order the MiG-28 en mass was the Socialist Republic of Ceylon (modern
day Sri Lanka), which received 84 aircraft along with the ex- Soviet carrier
Rodina (Renamed the Red Ceylon). These were delivered in a overall flat black
paint scheme in 1984.
During 1986 tensions between the Ceylonese and US were high, brief skirmishes
between the Ceylonese naval air arm and aircraft from the USS Enterprise were reminiscent
of what happened above the Gulf of Sidra, with the US air patrols being bounced
by pairs of Ceylonese MiGs. These events led up to a confrontation in August of
that year in which 6 Ceylonese MiGs attacked a F-14 BARCAP that was providing
air cover for a naval rescue operation. During the ensuing dogfight 4 MiGs were
shot down, with only one F-14 lost.
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This 'MiG-28' pair
and the story are based on the movie Top*Gun, specifically by the opening
scenes where 'Maverick' and 'Cougar' run into a pair of hostile *MiG's* over
the Indian Ocean.
The single seat
'MiG-28' is the Testors 1/72 #272 F-5E Adversary kit, which included the
markings used in the movie. I robbed a pair of AIM-9's from Italeri's 1/72
US/NATO weapons set, since the kit AAMs looked unrealistic. I decided to
simulate the 'peeling paint' after looking at the opening scenes from the
movie and finding pictures in Dave Parsons book 'Bandits! Pictorial History of
American Adversarial Aircraft' and DT&S' Color and Markings no.6: USN
Adversary aircraft.
Italeri's 1/72 F-5F
kit was the basis for the 'MiG-28UB'. I had to correct the gun layout on the
nose (the F model only has one 20mm cannon, something Italeri missed when they
did the mold.), and add a pair of Sidewinders from Italeri's 1/72 weapons set. I
ended up doing some improvements to the RIO's cockpit by adding a radar display,
control stick and a 'Towel rack' hand hold above the dashboard. Another F-5E
Adversary kit donated the markings.
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(Thanks goes to *Super* Tom Choy
for editing the pictures and *GrayGhost* Gregg for the "real"
MiG-28 pic.)
Bud
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