October 06, 1977

The MiG-29 prototype (NATO reporting name “Fulcrum”) makes its first flight. The MiG-29 is the second of a new generation of Soviet fighters (along with the Su-27) to compete with, respectively, the US F-16 and F-15. More than 800 aircraft have been built, and as of 2003, the aircraft is still in limited production and the more than 20 countries flying the MiG-29 are in the process of updating their fleets. MiG-29s are now flown by the air arms of two NATO members, Germany and Poland.