MIG21
Russian Fighter Aircraft MiG-21 Fishbed


MIG21 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
See Also:
Pre/Post WW2 USSR Russia Planes - List of Aircraft Ilyushin_IL2 IL-4_Ilyushin Operation Stalingrad , Operation Barbarossa Zhukov (Zukov) MIG19_Farmer SU35_Sukhoi SU27_Flanker SU24_Fencer MIG21 MIG23_Flogger MIG25_Foxbat MIG29_Fulcrum MIG31_Foxhound Mi24_Hind_Gunship Ka50_Hokum_helicopter KA25_Kamov_Naval_Helicopter Kirov_Battlecruiser Kuznetsov_Russian_Aircraft_Carrier Soviet_Aircraft_Carrier_Varyag

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It is the most common post-World War II aircraft, with the exception of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

The MiG21 saw frequent action in the Vietnam War and was one of the most advanced aircraft at the time. However, many North Vietnamese aces preferred flying the MiG-19, due to the wingload on the MiG-21's wings. Employing the popular triangular wings, it was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 speed using a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and is thus comparable to the American F-104 Starfighter and French Dassault Mirage III.

It was used also in early stages of the wars in Afghanistan but soon outclassed by the newer MiG-23 and MiG-27.


FREE BATTLEFLEET GAME
BattleFleet Pacific War Naval Strategy Game
Battlefleet: Pacific War is WW2 turn-based strategy game, extension to classic Battleship game, where ships/planes/subs move!
for Windows 98/XP/NT/Me/2000 Pentium 233 MHz, 32 MB RAM
Battle-Fleet Home Page

The first prototype (called Ye-6) flew in 1957, entering service in 1958.

Currently MiG-21s, in the F/L variant are currently produced under license by HAL of India. However, following a series of about 250 crashes over the last decade, the Indian Air Force has announced that the MiG-21 will be phased out of service.

Specifications

Countries of Origin Russia / China
Builder Mikoyan-Gurevich [Russia]
Xian Aircraft [China] @ Shenyang, Chengdu & Guizhou
Variants
  • MiG-21F Fishbed C
  • MiG-21 PF Fishbed D
  • MiG-21PFM Fishbed F
  • MiG-21 R Fishbed H
  • MiG-21S Fishbed H
  • MiG-21RF Fishbed H
  • MiG-21 SM Fishbed J
  • MiG-21 M (Type 96/Hindustan Aeronautics-India)
  • MiG-21PFMA Fishbed J
  • MiG-21MF Fishbed J
  • MiG-21SMT Fishbed K
  • MiG-21SMB Fishbed K
  • MiG21 bis-A Fishbed L
  • MiG21 bis-B Fishbed N
  • MiG21 U Mongol A
  • MiG21 US Mongol B
  • MiG21 UM Mongol B
  • J-7 / F-7 Fishbed
  • J-7 II / F-7B Fishbed
  • J-7 III Fishbed
  • F-7M Airguard
  • F-7P Skybolt
  • Similar Aircraft
  • Fitters, all models,
  • Mirage III/5,
  • A-4 Skyhawk
  • Role
  • Ground-attack
  • interceptor,
  • trainer
  • Span 23 ft. 6 in.
    Length 51 ft. 9 in.
    Height 15 ft. 9 in.
    Weight 18,080 lbs. max.
    Engines MiG-21 = Tumansky R-11F-300 @ 12,675 lbst w/afterburner
    J-7 III = Wopen-13 turbofan @ 14,550-lbst
    Crew One
    Maximum speed 1,300 mph.
    Cruising speed 550 mph.
    Range MIG-21 = 400 mi range
    MIG-21bis = 600 nm range
    J-7 = 230 mi / 370 km lo-lo-lo radius
    J-7B = 375 mi / 600 km radius w/ 2 PL-2 AAM + internal fuel
    J-7B = 450 mi / 750 km radius w/ 2 PL-2 AAM + drop tanks
    J-7M = 550 mi / 875 km radius w/ 2 PL-2 AAM + drop tanks
    J-7 III = 525 mi / 850 km radius hi-hi-hi air superiority w/ 2 AAM + drop tanks
    J-7 III = 340 mi / 550 km radius lo-lo-hi ground attack w/ 2 bombs + drop tanks
    J-7 III = 1,350 mi / 2,200 km ferry range
    Service Ceiling 50,000 ft / 14000 meters
    Internal Fuel 2277 kg MIG-21pfs
    2364 kg MIG-21bis
    869 kg J-8
    In-Flight Refueling No
    Drop Tanks MIG-21bis = Drop tank with 391kg of fuel for 51nm range
    MIG-21bis = Drop tank with 631kg of fuel for 80nm range
    MIG-21bis = Drop tank with 391kg of fuel for 50nm range
    J-7 = 800 l drop tank with 639kg of fuel for 111nm range
    Take-Off Runway F-7M = 700-950 m (2,300-3,120 ft)
    J-7 III = 800 m (2,625 ft) with afterburning
    Landing Runway F-7M = 600-900 m (1,970-2,955 ft) with brake-chute
    J-7 III = 550 m (1,805 ft) with flap blowing, drag-chute and brakes
    Sensors MIG-21pfs = Spin Scan (R1L) radar, RWR, Balistic bombsight MIG-21bis = Jay Bird radar, RWR, Balistic bombsight
    J-7 = Type 222 ranging radar, RWR, Ballistic bombsight
    Armament One NR-30 30mm cannon plus
    MIG-21pfs = K-13 AA-2 atoll, FAB-500, FAB-250, UV-16-67 rocket pods
    MIG-21bis = UV-69 57 rocket pods, AA-8 Aphid, FAB-250, FAB-500
    J-7 = 2 PL-2 or PL-7 AAM and 1 800 L drop tank (685 nm)
    User Countries
  • Afghanistan
  • Albania (J-7)
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Azerbiajan
  • Bangladesh
  • Bulgaria
  • Burma
  • Cambodia
  • China (J-7)
  • Congo
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Czech Republic
  • Republic
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Gunea
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Kazakhstan
  • Laos
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Mali
  • Mongolia
  • Mozambique
  • Nigeria
  • North Korea
  • North Yemen
  • Pakistan (J-7)
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • South Yemen
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tanzania
  • Vietnam
  • Yugoslavia
  • Zambia
  • Zimbebwe
  • Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

    MIG21
    Russian Fighter Aircraft MiG-21 Fishbed