https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-21; NATO reporting
name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the
Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed
"Balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian
stringed musical instrument or olówek (English: pencil) by Polish pilots due to
the shape of its fuselage.

Early versions are considered second-generation jet fighters, while later
versions are considered to be third-generation jet fighters.[citation needed]
Approximately 60 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it
still serves many nations six decades after its maiden flight. The fighter made
aviation records. At least by name, it is the most-produced supersonic jet
aircraft in aviation history and the most-produced combat aircraft since the
Korean War, and it was previously the longest production run of a combat
aircraft (now exceeded by both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General
Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon).

The MiG-21 jet fighter was a continuation of Soviet jet fighters, starting with
the subsonic MiG-15 and MiG-17, and the supersonic MiG-19. A number of
experimental Mach 2 Soviet designs were based on nose intakes with either
swept-back wings, such as the Sukhoi Su-7, or tailed deltas, of which the MiG-21
would be the most successful.

Development of what would become the MiG-21 began in the early 1950s, when
Mikoyan OKB finished a preliminary design study for a prototype designated Ye-1
in 1954. This project was very quickly reworked when it was determined that the
planned engine was underpowered; the redesign led to the second prototype, the
Ye-2. Both these and other early prototypes featured swept wings—the first
prototype with delta wings as found on production variants was the Ye-4. The
Ye-4 made its maiden flight on 16 June 1955 and made its first public appearance
during the Soviet Aviation Day display at Moscow's Tushino airfield in July
1956.


Role
Fighter

National origin
Soviet Union

Design group
Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB

First flight
14 February 1956 (Ye-2)

Introduction
1959 (MiG-21F)

Status
In active service (see list)

Primary users
Soviet Air Force (historical)
Indian Air Force
Libyan Air Force

Produced
1959 (MiG-21F) to 1985 (MiG-21bis)

Number built
11,496[1]
(10,645 produced in the USSR, 657 in India, 194 in Czechoslovakia)

Variants
Chengdu J-7


The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and
interceptor characteristics in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter,
achieving Mach 2 with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and is
thus comparable to the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and Northrop F-5
Freedom Fighter and the French Dassault Mirage III.[1] Its basic layout was used
for numerous other Soviet designs; delta-winged aircraft included Su-9
interceptor and the fast E-150 prototype from MiG bureau while the mass-produced
successful front fighter Su-7 and Mikoyan's I-75 experimental interceptor
combined a similar fuselage shape with swept-back wings. However, the
characteristic layout with the shock cone and front air intake did not see
widespread use outside the USSR and finally proved to have limited development
potential, mainly because of the very small space available for the radar.

Like many aircraft designed as interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range. This
was exacerbated by the poor placement of the internal fuel tanks ahead of the
center of gravity. As the internal fuel was consumed, the center of gravity
would shift rearward beyond acceptable parameters. This had the effect of making
the plane statically unstable to the point of being uncontrollable, resulting in
an endurance of only 45 minutes in clean condition. This can be somewhat
countered by carrying fuel in external tanks closer to the center of gravity.
The Chinese variants somewhat improved the internal fuel tank layout, and also
carry significantly larger external fuel tanks to counter this issue.[3]
Additionally when more than half the fuel was used up, violent maneuveurs
prevented fuel from flowing into the engine, thereby causing it to shutdown
midflight. This increased the risk of tank implosions (a problem inherited from
MiG-15/MiG-17 and MiG-19).[4] The issue of the short endurance and low fuel
capacity of the MiG-21F, PF, PFM, S/SM and M/MF variants—though each had a
somewhat greater fuel capacity than its predecessor—led to the development of
the MT and SMT variants. These had a range increase of 250 km (155 mi) compared
to the MiG-21SM, but at the cost of worsening all other performance figures
(such as a lower service ceiling and slower time to altitude).

Specifications (MiG-21-93)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 14.5 [129] m (47 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 7.154 m (23 ft 6 in)
Height: 4 m (13 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 23.0 m2 (247.3 ft2)
Empty weight: 5,846 kg (12,880 lb)
Gross weight: 8,825 kg (19,425 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Tumansky R25-300, 40.21 kN (9,040 lbf) thrust dry, 69.62 kN
(15,650 lbf) with afterburner each

Performance
Maximum speed: 2,175 km/h (1,351.48 mph)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.0
Range: (internal fuel) 1,210 km (751 miles)
Service ceiling: 17,800 m (58,400 ft)
Rate of climb: 225 m/s (44,280 ft/min)

Armament
1x internal 23 mm GSh-23 cannon, plus
depending on version: up to 4 x K-13 missiles. Earlier versions could only carry
two, newer ones could carry up to four. Mostly if not completely phased out, the
main Air to Air weapon of MiG-21 variants remaining in service is the R-60
missile.
up to 6 R-60 missiles (operationally 4)
MiG-21-93 variant only: 2 x R-27R1 or R-27T or 4x Vympel R-77 or 4 x R-73E
2x 500 kg (1,102 lbs) bombs
S-5, S-8 rocket pods




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