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RUSSIAN MIG 21 - F-13 - 1959
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (“Fishbed”) is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed and built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. The MiG-21F, a continuation of Soviet jet fighters MiG-15, 17 and 19, is a short-range day fighter-interceptor and the first major production version of the popular MiG-21 series. It is one of around 15 versions of this aircraft that have served in the air arms of many nations around the world. The E-5 prototype of the MiG-21 was first flown in 1955 and made its first public appearance during the Soviet Aviation Day display at Moscow’s Tushino Airport in June 1956. When the MiG-21 was first introduced, it exhibited several flaws. Its early version air-to-air missiles, the Vympel K-13 (AA-2 ‘Atoll’), were not successful in combat, and its gyro gunsight was easily thrown off in high-speed maneuvers. Once these problems had been revised, the MiG-21 became a formidable fighter aircraft. Employing a delta configuration, 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. The fighter holds a number of aviation records, including the most produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the most produced combat aircraft since World War II, and the longest production run of a combat aircraft. Its Mach 2 capability exceeds the top speed of many later modern fighter types. It has been estimated that more than 10,000 MiG-21s were built. More than 50 countries of the world have flown the MiG-21. Specifications * Engine 1 Tumanski R-11F-300 jet * Range 1,640 km * Weight 4,600 kg * Top speed 2,093 km/h * Dimensions Length: 15.77 m, Height: 7.16 m, Wingspan, 4.80 m 
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