Manuals/calci/Mig 21

The Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21 is truly one of the most remarkable aircraft of the Cold War and perhaps the most widely-built plane since World War II. In its career, the MiG-21 has seen service with some 47 different nations throughout Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Eastern Europe since the late 1950s. The project began in 1953 when the Soviet Air Force requested a short-range interceptor to replace the MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters. After experimenting with various wing configurations, the Mikoyan Gurevich design bureau chose a tailed delta configuration that eventually became the MiG-21.

What made the design so successful was its extremely light weight and maneuverability coupled with exceptional reliability, high 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 that significantly increased the aircraft's versatility and effectiveness.

Though the MiG-21 began to be replaced by the MiG-23 and MiG-29 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 updating many of the examples operated by Egypt and Syria.

China developed its own much-improved version of the MiG-21 known as the J-7. The J-7 continues in production, and the F-7 export model is also extremely popular.

Data below for MiG-21Mbis 'Fishbed-N' and F-7M Airguard
Last modified 29 October 2007

Mikoyan Gurevich
MiG-21and Mig 29
Shenyang J-7
ASCC codename: Fishbed
Multi-Role Fighter

Manuals/calci/Mig 21

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