The Mikojan-Guriewicz MIG-21 (NATO: Fishbed) is a Soviet light fighter with a duralumin, half-shell structure, in a mid-wing design, with a delta blade with a 57-degree slope. The prototype flight took place on June 16, 1956. The prototype of the MIG 21 is considered to be the E-5 prototype powered by the RD-11 engine. After its flight, several other prototypes were created, which, incidentally, were breaking various international airspeed records. The experience gained from them was used to improve the E-5, and finally the aircraft was sent to mass production as the MIG-21F-13 in 1959. There are over a dozen basic versions in production, and along with various subversions, the number of MIG 21 types can be estimated at several dozen! The most important of them is the first mass-produced MIG-21F. It replaced the MIG-21PF version with the RP-21 radar and the R-11F2 engine. The next development version is the MiG-21R, i.e. a reconnaissance aircraft. Several training versions were also created, the first of which is the MiG-21U-400. The MIG-21 turned out to be a very successful design, with great performance, easy to pilot and cheap to produce. The quality of the construction is evidenced by the fact that in the 90s there were development versions of this aircraft, which was more than 30 years old. The machine was exported to all countries of the former Warsaw Pact and the entire multitude of Arab and African countries. The MIG-21 took part in most of the armed conflicts of the 1960-1980 period, including in the Vietnam War, in the Six Day War (1967), in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Technical data: length: 13.46m, wingspan: 7.15m, height: 4.1m, maximum speed: 2130km / h, climb speed: 120m / s, maximum range: 1100km, maximum ceiling 19000m, armament: fixed - single 23 mm GSz-23 cannon (M version), suspended - up to 2000 kg of cargo.
