Theodore Gianna
Published: 2023-02-14
Total Pages: 0
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The MiG-21 was the first supersonic fighter from the Soviet Union. It was first built in the mid-1950s, around the same time as the US Century Series jet fighters, the F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, and F-106. However, the MiG 21 would outlive all those fighters. The three largest MiG factories in the USSR manufactured the MiG-21s in many variants. The Moscow Gorki plant (no.21) saw the most extensive production; 5,278 units. The second facility, also in Moscow, was the 'Znamya Truda' (Moscow Aircraft Production Association) plant, which produced 3,203 units, and the no. 31 plant in Tbilisi, Georgia, built 1,677 units. Production lasted 27 years, from 1959 until 1986. MiG fighters for internal and export use totaled an amazing 10,158 MiG-21s built, including the last of a great breed, 2,030 MiG-21bis fighters, and 1,133 MiG-21 UM 'Mongol' training versions. It was the most mass-produced supersonic fighter aircraft in aviation history, and it still holds that title.Although the MiG-21 was an excellent jet fighter, one aircraft had its measure, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom. The air battles that took place between the two rival jets during the long Vietnam conflict are legendary. This book devotes a section on the MiG's operations in the Vietnam War.