Smokey Bandits

Smokey Bandits

A five-ship MiG-29 display team from Kuantan, named after the smoky exhaust of the Fulcrum’s Russian engines at full thrust.

2001创立
MiG-29N飞机
5In the display
解散地位
Photo: Peter Gronemann from Switzerland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
操作员马来西亚皇家空军国家马来西亚类型Formation aerobatic teamHome baseRMAF Kuantan Air Base地位解散
故事

Smokey Bandits: how the team came to be and what it flies today

Fulcrums from Kuantan

Malaysia took delivery of 16 single-seat MiG-29Ns and two MiG-29UB trainers from 1995, basing them at Kuantan on the east coast of the peninsula with No 19 Squadron ‘Cobra’ (Wikipedia also names No 17 Squadron). According to Wikipedia the Smokey Bandits, a display team of five MiG-29s, were established in 2001. The name came from the smoke trail left by the fighter’s two Russian engines when running at full thrust.

The end of the MiG-29

The team could last only as long as the fleet. Two Malaysian MiG-29s were lost in separate crashes in 1998 and 2004, six were retired in 2010 to save on maintenance costs, and the last ten were withdrawn in 2017, leaving the Su-30MKM as the air force’s Russian fighter. No reachable source records the team’s last display.

The team could last only as long as the fleet. Two Malaysian MiG-29s were lost in separate crashes in 1998 and 2004, six were retired in 2010 to save on maintenance costs, and the last ten were withdrawn in 2017, leaving the Su-30MKM as the air force’s Russian fighter.Smokey Bandits · verified 2026-10-02

一览

Smokey Bandits in numbers

The team

Formation
5 aircraft

  • Five MiG-29s

飞机

Flown
Mikoyan MiG-29N

  • Mikoyan MiG-29N (local designation, 9.12SD export version)

家

Based at
RMAF Kuantan

  • No 19 Squadron ‘Cobra’

The display

Aircraft in the display
5

飞机

Every type Smokey Bandits has flown

飞机 年 Number 笔记
Mikoyan MiG-29N 2001–2017 5 Fleet of 16 MiG-29N and 2 MiG-29UB; last ten retired 2017.

时间线

Smokey Bandits, year by year

1995

MiG-29s delivered to the RMAF at Kuantan.

2001

Smokey Bandits established with five MiG-29s, according to Wikipedia.

2010

Six MiG-29s retired to save on maintenance costs.

2017

Last ten MiG-29s retired.


问答

Everything people ask about Smokey Bandits

What aircraft did the Smokey Bandits fly?
Mikoyan MiG-29N Fulcrum fighters, five of them in the team.
Where were the Smokey Bandits based?
At RMAF Kuantan, home of the MiG-29 squadrons.
Why were they called the Smokey Bandits?
After the smoke from the MiG-29’s two engines at full thrust.
Do the Smokey Bandits still fly?
No. Malaysia retired its last MiG-29s in 2017.



参考资料及延伸阅读

所有事实均已核实

Verified 2026-10-02.