Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>MIG-21>HA0192
MIG-21 BIS Izdelye 75A, 31st Fighter Squadron, Kuopio Airbase, Finland 1980
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
A total of 26 MiG-21BIS were received by the Suomen Ilmavoimien (Finnish Air Force)
with most going to the HavLLv 31 (Fighter Squadron 31). On September 21, 1978 the
first two aircraft to arrive were MG-111 and MG-114 with MG-129 arriving on July 17,
1980. Between 1987 and 1989 MG-129 and two other aircraft were modified to RECCE
standards. On February 9, 1998 MG-129 made its last active duty flight accumulating
1,571 hours and 20 minutes flight time before becoming an operating teaching aid at
Kuopio Airport’s mechanic school.
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 |