Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>MIG-21>HA0147

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 Aircraft

The Mig-21SMT ( NATO designation Fishbed K ) was a third generation version and only flown by the pilots of the Soviet Air Force Frontal Aviation Units and they were used primarily in an air-ground role. Along with a new ECM package the designers made an effort to increase the endurance of the Mig-21 by enlarging the dorsal fin and lengthened it so it went back and merged with the brake chute fairing. This gave it a humpbacked look and made it possible to carry 3,250 liters internally but this lead to fuel trim problems, when 2/3 of the fuel was burned off the center of gravity would shift towards the tail, severely hampering performance and handling. To make things worse the R-13- 300 engine was used which didn’t produce enough thrust to compensate for the increased weight of the SMT over previous models. The SMT version turned out to be quite a disappointment with only about 150 – 200 machines ever being built from 1971 – 1972 and 15 of the export version, the MT were produced but none were ever exported. However lessons were learned from this and since the full amount of fuel couldn’t be carried the next version arrived with a smaller spine that didn’t go back to the brake chute fairing.

Specifications :

Developing Nation:	Soviet Union
Task:	Multi-role Fighter
First Flight:	1957
Crew:	1
Dimensions
Wing span:	7,15 m
Wing area:	23.00 m2
Length:	13,46m
Engine(s)	Tumansky R-13 turbojet with 65,48 kN thrust (incl. After-burn)
Weight:	5450kg
Max. Take off weight:	7750kg
Max. Speed:	2230 km/h(mach 2,1) at 12000m
Max. Range:	315 km(on internal fuel only)
Weapons	2 x 23 mm cannons and a maximum of 1000 kg other weaponry depending on type of mission.