TITLE:

MIKOYAN MiG-21

NATO reporting names: 'Fishbed and Mongol'

TYPE:

Single-seat multi-role fighter and two-seat operational trainer.

PROGRAMME:

Development began to meet autumn 1953 official requirements for short-range interceptor; tailed delta configuration selected for production late 1956 after flight testing of prototypes with swept and delta wings; Ye-6 pre-production prototype flew late 1957; MiG-21 production authorised 1958; deliveries began late that year; production completed except in China, where developed versions are manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and Guizhou Aviation Industry (GAIC).

DESIGN FEATURES:

Diminutive tailed delta with clipped tips to mid-mounted wings; circular-section fuselage with prominent dorsal spine; nose intake with large three-position centrebody; swept tail, with large vertical surfaces and ventral fin; 2ø wing anhedral from roots; TsAGI section, thickness/chord ratio 5 per cent at root, 4.2 per cent at tip; leading-edge sweep 57ø; no wing leading-edge camber.

FLYING CONTROLS:

Manual operation, with autostabilisation in pitch and roll; hydraulically boosted inset ailerons; blown plain trailing-edge flaps, actuated hydraulically; forward hinged door type airbrake each side of underfuselage below wing leading-edge; third forward hinged airbrake under fuselage forward of ventral fin; airbrake actuated hydraulically; hydraulically boosted rudder and all-moving horizontal surface with two gearing ratios for varying combinations of altitude and airspeed; tailplane trim switch on control column; no tabs.

STRUCTURE:

All-metal; wings have two primary spars and auxiliary spar; semi-monocoque fuselage, with spine housing control pushrods, avionics, single-point refuelling cap and fuel tank; blister fairings on fuselage above and below each wing to accommodate retracted mainwheels.

LANDING GEAR:

Hydraulically retractable tricycle type, with single wheel on each unit; all units housed in fuselage when retracted. Forward retracting non-steerable nosewheel unit, tyre size 500 x 180 mm; inward retracting mainwheels which turn to stow vertically inside fuselage. Size 800 x 200 mm tyres on mainwheels, inflated to approximately 7.93 bars (115 lb/sq in), ruling out normal operation from grass runways. Pneumatic disc brakes on all three wheels supplied from compressed air bottles. Steering by differential mainwheel braking. Wheel doors remain open when legs are extended. Brake parachute housed inside acorn fairing at base of rudder.

POWER PLANT:

One Tumansky R-13-300 turbojet, rated at 41.55 kN (9340 lb st) dry and 64.73 kN (14550 lb st) with afterburning. Fuel tanks in fuselage, and two integral tanks in each wing, with total capacity of 2600 litres (687 US gallons; 572 Imp gallons), of which approx 1800 litres (475 US gallons; 396 Imp gallons) are usable within CG limits at low speed. Provision for carrying one finned external fuel tank, capacity 490 litres (130 US gallons; 108 Imp gallons) or 800 litres (211 US gallons; 176 Imp gallons), on underfuselage pylon and two 490 litre drop tanks on outboard underwing pylons. Two jettisonable solid propellant JATO rockets can be fitted under rear fuselage, aft of wheel doors.

ACCOMMODATION:

Pilot only, on zero/zero ejection seat with spring loaded arm at top which ensures that seat cannot be operated unless hood is closed. Canopy is sideways hinged, to starboard, and is surmounted by a small rearview mirror. Flat bulletproof windscreen. Cabin air-conditioned. Armour plating forward and aft of cockpit.

AVIONICS:

Search and track radar (NATO 'Jay Bird') in intake centrebody, with search range of 10.8 nm (20 km; 12.5 miles). Other standard avionics include VOR, ARK automatic radio compass, IFF and Sirena 3 radar warning system with an indicator marked in 45ø sectors in front of and behind the aircraft. Gyro gunsight maintains precision up to 2.75g. Automatic ranging can be fed into gunsight. Full blind-flying instrumentation, with attitude and heading indicators driven by remote central gyro platform.

ARMAMENT:

One twin-barrel 23 mm GSh-23 gun, with 200 rounds, in belly pack. Four underwing pylons for weapons or drop tanks. Typical loads for interceptor role include two AA-2/2D (K-13A) 'Atoll' air-to-air missiles on inner pylons and two radar homing AA-2C 'Atolls' or two UV-16-57 rocket packs (16 57 mm rockets) on outer pylons; or two drop tanks and two AA-2/2D or AA-2C 'Atoll'. Typical loads for ground attack role are four UV-16-57 rocket packs, two 500 kg and two 250 kg bombs; or four 240 mm S-24 air-to-surface rockets.

DIMENSIONS EXTERNAL (MiG-21MF):

Wingspan: 7.15 m (23 ft 5 1/2 in)

Length, incl pitot boom: 15.76 m (51 ft 8 1/2 in)

Height overall: 4.10 m (13 ft 5 1/2 in)

Tailplane span: 3.70 m (12 ft 8 in)

WEIGHTS AND LOADINGS (MiG-21MF):

Weight empty: 5843 kg (12,882 lb)

Max T-O weight: 9800 kg (21,605 lb)

Max wing loading: 426.0 kg/m/2 (87.5 lb/sq ft)

Max power loading: 151.4 kg/kN (1.48 lb/lb st)

PERFORMANCE: (MiG-21MF):

Max level speed above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Mach 2.05 (1175 knots; 2175 km/h; 1353 mph)

Max level speed at low-altitude

Mach 1.06 (701 knots; 1300 km/h; 807 mph)

Landing speed: 146 knots (270 km/h; 168 mph)

Practical ceiling: about 15,250 m (50,000 ft)

T-O run at normal AUW: 800 m (2625 ft)

Landing run: 550 m (1805 ft)

LENGTH (m): 15.76

HEIGHT (m): 4.10

WINGSPAN (m): 7.15

MAX T-O WEIGHT (kg): 9800

MAX WING LOAD (kg/m{2}): 426.00

MAX LEVEL SPEED (knots): 1175

T-O RUN (m): 800

LANDING RUN (m): 550

MAX RATE CLIMB (m/min): 6400