Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>MIG-21>HA0191

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

MiG-21PFM “Fishbed” 5020 c/n 948601 belonged to the VPAF 927th “Lam Son” Fighter Regiment and piloted by several regiment aces. On July 5, 1972 in action against the U.S. Operation Linebacker MiG-21PFM 5020 flown by Nguyen Tien Sam and accompanied by his wingman Ha Vinh Thanh, encountered two F-4Es. Nguyen Tien Sam got so close that when his missile hit F-4E 67-0296 he had to fly through the debris temporarily stalling his engine. His wingman downed F-4E 67-0339. 5020 is in Hanoi wearing 12 kill markings.

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