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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.

2001Основан
MiG-29NСамолёт
5In the display
РасформированСтатус
Photo: Peter Gronemann from Switzerland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
ОператорRoyal Malaysian Air ForceСтранаМалайзияТипFormation aerobatic teamHome baseRMAF Kuantan Air BaseСтатусРасформирован
История

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in separate crashes in 1998 and 2004, six were retired in 2010 to save on maintenance costs, and the last ten were withdrawn in 2017, leaving the Su-30MKM as the air force’s Russian fighter.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in separate crashes in 1998 and 2004, six were retired in 2010 to save on maintenance costs, and the last ten were withdrawn in 2017, leaving the Su-30MKM as the air force’s Russian fighter.Smokey Bandits · verified 2026-10-02

Вкратце

Smokey Bandits in numbers

The team

Formation
5 aircraft

  • Five MiG-29s

Самолёт

Flown
Mikoyan MiG-29N

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

Дом

Based at
RMAF Kuantan

  • No 19 Squadron ‘Cobra’

The display

Aircraft in the display
5

Самолёт

Every type Smokey Bandits has flown

Самолёт Годы Number Примечание
Mikoyan MiG-29N 2001–2017 5 Fleet of 16 MiG-29N and 2 MiG-29UB; last ten retired 2017.

Хронология

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.


Вопросы и ответы

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.



Источники и дополнительная литература

Все факты проверены.

Verified 2026-10-02.