The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a 4th generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other nations. The NATO name Fulcrum was unofficially used by Soviet pilots in service. The MiG-29 along with the Su-27 were developed to counter new American fighters such as the F-15 Eagle, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
In the West, the new fighter was given the NATO reporting name Fulcrum-A because the pre-production MiG-29A, which should have logically received this designation, remained unknown in the West at that time.
