Technical Specifications
- Max. Speed: Mach 2.05 at altitude; Mach 1.05 at sea level
- Initial Climb Rate: 58,000 ft./min.
- Range: 585 nm
- Service Ceiling: 57,400 ft.
- Wingspan: 23.46 ft.
- Length: 40.29 ft.
- Height: 13.46 ft.
- Weight: 12,600 lb. empty; 22,925 lb. Max Takeoff
Armament
- Maximum Payload – 3,310 lbs.
- Gun – single 23-mm GSh-23L two-barrel cannon (200 rounds)
- Air to Air Missiles – K-13/AA2 Atoll, R-60/AA-8Aphid
- Air to Surface – none (Fishbed-J was first model with surface capabilities)
- Bombs – 250/500 kg conventional, nuclear and napalm
- Other – Rocket pods, ECM pods and reconnaissance pods
Engine
One Tumansky R-25 – 300 turbojet with 15,650 lbs. thrust
General Information
The Mikoyan-Gurevish MiG-21 (NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic Soviet jet fighter aircraft, designed in the Soviet Union. It was given the nickname, “Balalaika” from its resemblance to the Russian stringed instrument. Polish pilots dubbed it “olowek” (English: pencil) due to the shape of the fuselage – which was limited to 4 ft. 1 in. width. Introduced in 1959, approximately 60 countries over 4 continents have flown them. Widely exported, they continue to be used today. The MiG-21 is a lightweight fighter achieving Mach 2 with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and is thus comparable to the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and Northrup F-5 Freedom Fighter. The MiG-21 is a delta wing. The sweep angle on the leading edge is 57 degrees with a TsAGI S-12 airfoil. The use of a tail with the delta wing aids stability and control at the extremes of the flight envelope, enhanced safety for lower-skilled pilots; this in turn enhanced its marketability in exports to developing countries with limited training programs and restricted pilot pools. The canopy is hinged on the right side of the cockpit, however, in earlier models, it was hinged in the front and was connected to the ejector seat forming a capsule enclosing the pilot. After ejection, the capsule opened and the pilot parachuted to the ground. At low altitudes, the canopy took too long to separate and many pilots were killed as a result.
Specific Information
Little is known about the Museum’s aircraft other than it came from Czechoslovakia. Its tail number is 5409 CEF and construction number is 94A5409. Only 194 are said to have been manufactured in that country; whether this one was produced there is not known. The Heritage Flight Museum acquired the MiG-21 in 2016 and moved it on flatbed from Arlington where it was kept for several years. It is and will remain a static display, along with our other interceptor, the F-89 Scorpion.