The MiG-21, whose NATO codename is Fishbed, was undoubtedly the most iconic combat aircraft
of the Eastern Bloc in the First Cold War.
It would be improper to think of this fighter jet only as a flying machine.
This aircraft is also one of the best guidebooks to understanding Soviet air warfare doctrines
and perceptions of engineering.
Today, we are investigating the MiG-21, the killer MiG.
The MiG-21 fiercely fought against the Western powers, although the U.S. and Soviet armies
did not engage in hot conflict throughout the First Cold War years.
For the West, the Fishbed was one of the most feared opponents in the skies.
Even the Israeli pilots, who gained many air victories against them, deeply respected the
MiG-21.
The rivalry between the Western and Eastern led to the rapid development of aerospace
technologies.
So, the highly successful Soviet combat jets of the 1950s became obsolete a couple of years
after they had been introduced.
Now, it was time for the Mach 2 fighters.
In 1954, Mikoyan OKB finished a preliminary design study for the Ye-1 prototype, which
was the first step in the creation of the MiG-21.
But the planned engine was underpowered, so the company developed a redesigned second
prototype called Ye-2.
These two aircraft had swept wings.
Later, Mikoyan OKB developed the Ye-4, simply a Ye-2 with delta wings.
The Ye-4 made its maiden flight on June 16, 1955.
With the Ye-6 prototype, which met the sky on May 20, 1958, the aircraft had its final
shape and entered into service in 1959 as MiG-21F.
It was a short-range ground-controlled interceptor for point defence.
In this respect, the MiG-21 was a manned air defence missile.
It was designed to scramble when the radars detected a threat.
Then the ground control units directed the aircraft, which climbed to high altitudes
rapidly, towards the incoming hostile bomber.
Even though the U.S.S.R. had already worked on a MiG-21 variant with air-to-air missile
fire capability in 1958, the early production models only had a rangefinding radar and two
cannons.
In the later aircraft, the fire control system of the R-3 air-to-air missile, whose NATO
reporting name is AA-2 Atoll, replaced one of the guns.
Even though it was designed as a point defence interceptor, the MiG-21 was also a capable
lightweight fighter.
It was an easy-to-be-produced and low-cost combat jet.
Besides, this simple aircraft did not require a highly-trained ground crew for the maintenance
work.
So, the Fishbed was perfect for the Warsaw Pact countries, which were preparing for a
total war.
Also, it was an ideal fighter for pro-Moscow states, which newly gained their independence
from former European empires.
To adapting new technologies and combat requirements, the Soviet Union constantly improved the MiG-21.
Also, many users upgraded their Fishbeds in different modernization programmes.
So, the MiG-21 had numerous variants.
We will not mention them to keep our video short and sweet.
Still, we should cite that three different Fishbed generations were brought to life.
The first generation bore interceptor characteristics, and forthcoming generations had fighter features.
In the first generation, the canopy was hinged at the front and connected to the ejection
seat to make a capsule that enclosed the pilot.
The engineers had preferred this design to protect the pilot from high-speed airflow
encountered during high-speed ejections.
However, ejecting at low altitudes caused the canopy to take too long to separate, which
resulted in fatal incidents from time to time.
Thus, from the second generation, the canopy was hinged on the right side of the cockpit.
The second-generation MiG-21s had gun pods instead of an internal cannon.
The internal guns returned in the third generation.
The first generation models of the aircraft had one 56.4 kiloNewton Tumansky R-11F-300
turbojet.
The second generation PF version had a model of this engine that provides 60 kiloNewton
thrust.
And the latest bis version had one 97.1 kiloNewton Tumansky R-25-300 turbojet engine.
The latest single-seat bis variant of the MiG-21 has a length of 14.7 metres, a wingspan
of 7.15 metres, and a height of 4.1 metres.
Its wing area is 23 square metres.
The aircraft's empty weight is 5,460 kilograms, while its maximum takeoff weight is 10,400
kilograms.
One 97.1 kiloNewton Tumansky R-25-300 turbojet engine provides a top speed of Mach 2.05.
The aircraft has a range of 793 kilometres.
Its service ceiling is 17,500 metres, in other words, 57,400 feet.
The MiG-21bis has one 23mm GSh-23L autocannon and five hardpoints with an up to 1,300-kilogram
weapon-carrying capability.
It can be equipped with the K-13, R-55 and R-60 air-to-air missiles, rocket pods, and
free-fall bombs.
The MiG-21s participated in many wars.
In November 1965, the Vietnam People’s Air Force 921st Fighter Regiment received 16 MiG-21F-13s.
The following year, the MiG-21PF models entered the service.
The radar of this version, the RP-21 Saphir, had a limited range.
Due to the ground reflection effect, it was also unreliable and inefficient at altitudes
lower than 910 metres, in other words, 2,985 feet.
Still, its armoured cockpit gave an advantage to the aircraft in a dogfight.
On November 23, 1965, Vietnamese MiG-21s performed the first interception mission against the
U.S. Air Force.
Three days later, they encountered their nemesis for the first time.
The winner was the U.S. pilots.
The B variant of Phantom IIs scored the first air victory against the MiG-21s in October
1966.
But in three months, the situation began to change.
The F-4, which did not have a gun, was designed to engage six targets in a single sortie.
It had a highly capable radar and the AIM-7 Sparrow beyond visual range missiles.
Nevertheless, radar-guided air-to-air missiles were still primitive and had a low kill ratio.
The North Vietnamese quickly discovered the F-4's soft underbelly and implemented new
guerilla dogfight tactics.
Now, the North Vietnamese MiG-17s approaching from low altitudes forced the U.S. escort
fighters of an attack column the dogfight.
Then, the MiG-21s patrolling at high altitudes entered the scene and hunted the unprotected
bombers.
This new tactic was highly efficient.
Still, the empire struck back with Operation Bolo.
On January 2, 1967, the U.S. Air Force F-4s flew a mission along flight paths typically
used by the bombers during Rolling Thunder.
The Vietnamese naturally responded to this column with the same tactics.
The MiG-21 pilots, who expected to find heavily loaded fighter bombers, had to encounter Phantom
IIs.
Seven Fishbeds felt victims of this well-organized trap.
We should note that North Vietnam has acknowledged only five losses.
Still, in October 1967, in exchange for every MiG-21, the U.S. forces lost three aircraft.
In the first three months of 1968, the MiG-21s shot down 16 U.S. aircraft in exchange for
five losses.
When the war ended, Vietnamese MiG-21s had won 121 victories against A-4, EB-66, F-4,
F-8, F-105 and RF-101s, and the U.S. aircraft shot down only 92 Fishbeds.
Due to the MiG-21 threat, many U.S. bombers had to drop their bomb load before they reached
their targets.
So, the MiG-21 made many U.S. air raids unsuccessful.
During the war, 16 MiG-21 pilots became aces.
But, we should add that the U.S. pilots returned home after completing 100 combat sorties.
Very few pilots served in Vietnam for a second time.
On the other hand, many Vietnamese pilots fought throughout the war, which made them
advantageous.
The MiG-21s did not have the same success in the Middle East.
In August 1966, Iraqi pilot Captain Munir Radfa defected to Israel in a MiG-21.
So, the Israeli Air Force tested the aircraft and learnt the weaknesses of the Fishbed well.
For example, the MiG-21s was not a manoeuvrable combat jet below 390 kilometres per hour and
over 950 kilometres per hour.
The fuel pump of the aircraft could not provide enough fuel to the afterburner under 3,650
meters, in other words, 11,975 feet.
The Israeli Mirage IIICJs had higher horizontal manoeuvrability than the MiG-21s.
Until the Six-Day War in 1967, the Israeli pilots fought against Fishbeds five times
and shot down eight of them without loss.
On June 5, 1967, most MiG-21s were destroyed while waiting on the runway.
Still, three Egyptian MiG-21s could take off under heavy bombardment and shot down an Ouragan
and a Mystere IVA.
Although it had a numerical advantage, Egypt had many disadvantages besides an unexpected
ambush during the Six-Day War.
As a point defence interceptor, the MiG-21 was supposed to work coordinately with radar-supported
ground control units.
However, Egypt’s radar coverage was significantly limited, and the Fishbeds had to go beyond
this range frequently.
The RP-21 Saphir radar of the aircraft was ineffective under a 910-metre altitude.
So, the Israeli Mirage IIICJs approached the MiG-21 by flowing at low altitudes and caught
MiGs by surprise.
And well-trained Israeli pilots knew all about the capabilities of their aircraft and the
MiG-21.
On the other hand, Arab pilots suffered from lesser flight hours and limited training offered
by the Soviets.
Also, performing numerous tactical trials with Mirage IIICJs before the war, the Israeli
Air Force had realised that air-to-air missiles were not as effective as they seemed on paper.
For this reason, the Israeli pilots had been well-trained in how to use cannons effectively.
The Egyptian pilots had neither such training nor efficient autocannon on the Fishbed.
When the 1967 Arab-Israeli War began, cannon pods were yet to be fitted onto the Egyptian
aircraft.
Moreover, the R-3 air-to-air missiles had extremely poor performance.
The Soviet-style command structure of the Arab air forces was also highly complicated,
slow and ineffective.
After the war, Israel had many pilots with invaluable combat experience.
On the contrary, the Arabs had colossal wreckage in their hands.
Under these circumstances, both sides became involved in the War of Attrition.
Until August 1969, the Israeli Air Force shot down 21 Egyptian aircraft, including MiG-21s.
Still, on December 9, 1969, First Lieutenant Ahmed Atef shot down an Israeli F-4 Phantom
II.
Also, The Soviet Union sent some well-trained MiG-21 pilots to Egypt.
Now, three new Egyptian MiG-21 squadrons were flown by Soviet pilots.
This situation caused Israel to step back temporarily.
Then, Israeli Air Force conducted Operation Rimon 20 on July 30, 1970.
The best pilots of the Israeli Air Force, most of whom were so-called aces, lured six
MiG-21s into a trap.
After a brief engagement, five of them were shot down without any loss.
Egyptian MiG-21 pilots, who gained considerable experience and developed new tactics throughout
the War of Attrition, scored more achievements, at least at the outset of the 1973 Yom Kippur
War.
Nevertheless, they never gained superiority against their Israeli counterparts.
Still, during wars between Israel and the Arab countries, five Egyptian and seven Syrian
MiG-21 pilots became aces.
When the F-15s and F-16s were involved in the game, the legend of the Arab MiG-21s ended
for good.
According to Indian sources, the MiG-21FLs of the Indian Air Force shot down four F-104As,
two Shenyang F-6s, one F-86 Sabre and one C-130 Hercules during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan
War.
But, the Pakistani have only acknowledged two F-104A losses.
The MiG-21s were also used by the Iraqi Air Force against Iran in large-scale wars.
From 1980 to 1988, Iraqi MiG-21s shot down 43 Iranian fighters.
Besides, they were used in relatively low-intensity wars in various corners of the world.
The Fishbed is the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft.
Until 1986 more than 12,300 MiG-21 were manufactured in three different factories.
Meanwhile, 194 and 657 aircraft were produced under licence in Czechoslovakia and India,
respectively.
Also, China developed and produced local variants of the MiG-21s until 2013.
We will mention the J-7 in a different video.
Paving the way for establishing dogfight training schools in the United States, like Top Gun,
the MiG-21 also became the main force behind the development of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
This aircraft is one of the most iconic jet fighters of the First Cold War.
Nearly 60 countries across four continents have flown the MiG-21.
More than ten air forces are still operating this weirdly charming jet, even though the
Fishbed does not have a combat value.
The MiG-21 is undoubtedly a true legend.
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