DESCRIPTION: Truly one of the most remarkable aircraft of the Cold War period and perhaps the most successful aircraft in terms of number built since World War II, the MiG-21 has seen service with some 47 different nations throughout Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Eastern Europe since the late 1950s. The Soviet Air Force requested a short-range interceptor to replace the MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters in 1953. After experimenting with various wing configurations, the Mikoyan Gurevich design bureau chose a tailed delta configuration which eventually became the MiG-21. The original design was extremely light and maneuverable with exceptional reliability, sortie-rate, and low cost of operation. However, the MiG-21 long suffered from short range, small payload, and poor avionics suite. Later models were improved with more powerful and fuel efficient engines, radar, and ground attack capability increasing the aircraft's versatility and effectiveness. Though the MiG-21 began to be replaced by the MiG-23 and MiG-27 during the 1970s and 1980s, several hundred of the more than 11,000 built are still in use in Russia, China, and several other countries. Many are undergoing updates of their avionics systems and being equipped with new cockpit displays and more modern missiles. Italian companies have also been upgrading many aircraft operated by Egypt and Syria. China developed its own much-improved version of the MiG-21, the J-7, which is still in production. An export version, the F-7, is also extremely popular. Data below for MiG-21Mbis 'Fishbed-N' and F-7M Airguard |
HISTORY: |
First Flight | (MiG-21) 1957 (J-7) 17 January 1966 |
Service Entry
| 1959
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CREW: | 1 pilot
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ESTIMATED COST:
| unknown
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AIRFOIL SECTIONS: |
Wing Root | TsAGI S-12 (4.2%) |
Wing Tip
| TsAGI S-12 (5%)
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DIMENSIONS: |
Length | (MiG-21) 40.29 ft (12.285 m) (F-7M)48.83 ft (14.89 m) including probe |
Wingspan | 23.46 ft (7.154 m) |
Height | 13.46 ft (4.10 m) |
Wing Area | 247.6 ft2 (23.0 m2) |
Canard Area
| not applicable
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WEIGHTS: |
Empty | (MiG-21) 12,600 lb (5,715 kg) (F-7M)11,630 lb (5,275 kg) |
Typical Load | (MiG-21) 18,080 lb (8,200 kg) (F-7M)16,605 lb (7,530 kg) |
Max Takeoff | (MiG-21) 22,925 lb (10,400 kg) |
Fuel Capacity | internal: 658 gal (2,600L) external: 470 gal (1,780 L) |
Max Payload
| (MiG-21) 3,310 lb (1,500 kg) (F-7M)2,205 lb (1,000 kg)
|
PROPULSION: |
Powerplant | (MiG-21) one Tumanskii R-25-300turbojet (F-7M) one Liyang Wopen-7B(BM) turbojet |
Thrust | (MiG-21) 15,650 lb (69.61 kN) (F-7M)13,488 lb (59.82 kN)
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PERFORMANCE: |
Max LevelSpeed | at altitude: 1,355 mph (2,175 km/h)at 42,650 ft (13,000 m), Mach 2.05 at sea level: 800 mph (1,275km/h), Mach 1.05 |
Initial ClimbRate | (MiG-21) 58,000 ft (17,680 m) /min (F-7M) 35,435 ft (10,800 m) / min |
ServiceCeiling | (MiG-21) 57,400 ft (17,500 m) (F-7M)59,700 ft (18,200 m) |
Range | typical: 595 nm (1,100km) ferry: 970 nm (1,800 km) |
g-Limits | unknown
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ARMAMENT: |
Gun | (MiG-21) one 23-mm GSh-23L two-barrelcannon (200 rds) (F-7M) two 30-mm cannons (60 rds ea) |
Stations | five external hardpoints |
Air-to-AirMissile | (MiG-21) K-13/AA-2 Atoll, R-60/AA-8Aphid (F-7M) PL-2, PL-5, PL-7, Magic |
Air-to-SurfaceMissile | none |
Bomb | (MiG-21) 250/500 kg conventional, nuclear,and napalm bombs (F-7M) 50-500 kg GP bomps |
Other | (MiG-21) rocket pods, ECM pods,reconnaissance pods (F-7M) 57 mm gun pods, 90 mm gun pods
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KNOWN VARIANTS: |
Ye-5, Ye-6 | Prototypes |
MiG-21F 'Fishbed-C' | Definitive fighter model withimproved engine |
MiG-21U 'Mongol-A' | Two-seat trainer based onMiG-21F |
MiG-21G 'Fishbed-C' | First major production versionfor short-range fighter, built in USSR and Czechoslovakia |
J-7, F-7 | MiG-21F/G variants built underlicense by Shenyang and Chengdu in China, F-7 is version for export |
J-7II, F-7B | Improved J-7 |
MiG-21PF 'Fishbed-D' | Improved engine, enlarged engineinlet, new radar, and all-weather capability |
MiG-21PFS'Fishbed-E' | MiG-21PF with RATO packs forshort takeoffs, blown flaps for reduced landing speeds, improvedaerodynamics, and new gun pod |
MiG-21FL or Type 77 | Export model of MiG-21PF/PFSlacking RATO and blown flaps, built under license in India |
MiG-21PF(SPS) | MiG-21PF with blown flap system |
MiG-21PFM'Fishbed-F' | Incorporated all improvedfeatures of 21F, 21PF, and 21PFS |
MiG-21PFMA'Fishbed-J' | First model with ground attackcapability, greater fuel capacity, improved radar, internal 23-mm gun, and4 underwing pylons instead of 2 |
MiG-21M or Type 96 | Similar to MiG-21PFMA and builtunder license in India |
MiG-21R 'Fishbed-H' | Reconnaissance model based onMiG-21PFMA with cameras, IR sensors, or ECM equipment located in internalbay or external pods |
MiG-21MF 'Fishbed-J' | Model with new engine |
MiG-21RF 'Fishbed-H' | Reconnaissance model based onMiG-21MF |
J-7III | Improved Chinese J-7II based onMiG-21MF, equipped with new radar for all-weather day-night operations,built under license by Chengdu |
MiG-21SM 'Fishbed-J' | unknown |
MiG-21SMT'Fishbed-K' | Improved MiG-21MF with upgradedaerodynamics, increased fuel, and ECM equipment in wingtip pods |
MiG-21SMB'Fishbed-K' | unknown |
MiG-21bis'Fishbed-L' | Multi-role attack fighter withlighter airframe, increased fuel capacity, and improved avionics |
MiG-21Mbis'Fishbed-N' | Improved MiG-21bis with new R-25engine, improved avionics, and greater range of weaponry |
MiG-21US 'Mongol-B' | Two-seat trainer similar toMiG-21U but with blown flaps |
MiG-21UM 'Mongol-B' | Two-seat trainer based onMiG-21MF |
F-7M Airguard | Upgraded J-7II with Westernavionics, more powerful engine, stronger landing gear, and increasedweapons options |
F-7P Skybolt | F-7M model purchased byPakistan; 20 built |
F-7MP | Improved F-7M with new cockpitlayout and better survivability; 60 built for Pakistan |
J-8 | Much improved Chinese variantloosely based on MiG-21 and MiG-23, license-built by Shenyang
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KNOWN COMBATRECORD:
| Indo-Pakistan War (India,1965) Vietnam War (North Vietnam, 1967-1975) War of Attrition(Soviet Union, Egypt, 1969-1970) Bangladesh War (India, 1971) YomKippur War (Egypt, Syria, 1973) Lebanon (Syria, 1982) Afghansitan War (Soviet Union,1979-1989) Iran-Iraq War (Iran, Iraq, 1980-1988) Gulf War (Iraq,1991) Bosnia - Operation Deliberate Force (Serbia, 1995) Iraq -Operation Desert Fox (Iraq, 1998) Kosovo - Operation Allied Force(Serbia, 1999) Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan,2001)
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KNOWN OPERATORS:
| Russian AirForce Afghanistan Albania(J-7) Algeria Angola Azerbaijan Bangladesh(J-7) Bulgaria Burma (J-7) Cambodia China(J-7) Congo Croatia Cuba Czech Republic Egypt (F-7, J-7,MiG-21) Ethiopia Finland Germany Guinea Hungary India Iran(J-7) Iraq Kazakhstan Laos Libya Madagascar Mali Mongolia Mozambique Migeria NorthKorea North Yemen Pakistan (F-7P,J-7) Poland Romania Slovakia South Yemen Sri Lanka Sudan(J-7) Syria Tanzania(J-7) Uganda Vietnam Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe (J-7)
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3-VIEW SCHEMATIC: |