Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>MIG-21>HA0109
MIG-21PFM No. 6173, 927th Fighter Regiment, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1979
General Background
The Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21 is the world most widely used supersonic fighter which has been used by over 30 countries and 56 air forces. It is the most produced aircraft since World War II with an estimation of over 10,000 in the Soviet Union alone.
The Mig-21 has a top speed of Mach 2 and has proven to be an effective and easy to maintain aircraft in many conflicts. It first achieved renown in the Vietnam War where it posed itself a challenging adversary for more technological advanced aircrafts like the F-105 and F-4 Phantom. The Mig-21 is certainly one of the most famous aircrafts in the world for all times.
The Mig-21 has a top speed of Mach 2 and has proven to be an effective and easy to maintain aircraft in many conflicts. It first achieved renown in the Vietnam War where it posed itself a challenging adversary for more technological advanced aircrafts like the F-105 and F-4 Phantom. The Mig-21 is certainly one of the most famous aircrafts in the world for all times.
The Aircraft
The 927th “Lam Son” Fighter Regiment was activated on February 3, 1972 comprised of the 3rd and 9th squadrons equipped with MiG-21PFMs. Operating north of the 20th Parallel it was to support the 921st and 923rd Flight Regiments. The first CO was ace Major Nguyen Hong Nhi with 8 victories. MiG-21PFM 6173 764801240 joined the VPAF in 1979 as a replacement for a previously lost MiG-21PFM. It came painted in Soviet camo colors and was repainted with Vietnamese camo scheme, national insignia and a red 6173. MiG-21PFMs beginning with 6### never saw action in the War.
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Specifications :
| Power Plant: | One 41.55kN (9,340lb st) or 64.73kN (14,550lb st) with afterburner Tumansky R-13-300 turbojet |
| Wingspan: | 7.15m (23ft 5 1/2in) |
| Length: | 15.76m (51ft 8 1/2in) - incl pitot boom |
| Max T-O weight: | 9,400kg (20,725lb) |
| Max speed: | Mach 2.1 (2,230km/h - 1,385mph) above 11,000m (36,000ft) |
| Mach 1.06 (1,300km/h - 807mph) at low level | |
| Range: | 1,100km (683 miles) - internal fuel only |
| 1,800km (1,118 miles) - with three external drop tanks, one under fuselage, one under each wing | |
| Armament: | One 23mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon with 200 rounds in belly pack |
| Various air-to-air and air-to-ground stores carried on four under wing pylons including: | |
| K-13A "Atoll" or "Advanced Atoll" a-a missiles, | |
| UV-16-57 rocket packs, | |
S-24 a-s rockets, |
|
250kg and 500kg bombs |
|
Eventually Sidewinder missiles |