The MiG-21 is a supersonic delta-wing fighter and interceptor designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau in the Soviet Union, entering service with the initial MiG-21F variant in 1959. Its 57-degree delta wing and regulated engine inlet cone gave it a lightweight airframe combining fighter and interceptor roles in a single supersonic aircraft, known to NATO by the reporting name Fishbed. Roughly 11,496 MiG-21s were built in total, including 10,645 in the Soviet Union, 840 in India and 194 in Czechoslovakia, and about 60 countries across four continents have flown the type, making it the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft and the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War. Some MiG-21s remain in active service with several air forces even seven decades after the aircraft's first flight.
Facts
Weapon Classsupersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft 1 Introduced Year Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Associated With
Vietnam War, Wars The nimble MiG-21 was North Vietnam's principal interceptor against American strike aircraft in the Vietnam War
Used In
Source Wikipedia: MiG-21
Source Wikipedia: MiG-21
Source Wikipedia: MiG-21
Sources
1. Wikipedia: MiG-21
WikipediaLead section, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Wikipedia article
is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.
service status
Some MiG-21s remain in active service with several air forces even seven decades after the aircraft's first flight
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
Infobox, introduction field
Infobox introduction field: 1959 (MiG-21F)
Used In: Kargil War, Wikipedia article text
During the Kargil war in 1999, the IAF MiG-21s were pressed into combat air patrols and reconnaissance duties at high altitudes in Kashmir.
Used In: Vietnam War, Wikipedia article text
Tomes with a salvo from Tran's UB-16-57/S-5M unguided rocket-equipped MiG-21; this was the first instance of a VPAF MiG-21 shooting down a piloted enemy aircraft in the Vietnam War.
Used In: Yugoslav Wars, Wikipedia article text
During the early stages of the 1990s' Yugoslav wars, the Yugoslav military used MiG-21s in a ground-attack role, while Croatian and Slovene forces did not yet have air forces at that point in the conflict.
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