End of an era - Last Mig-21 Lancer flights

Wotan

Wotan

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https://www.defenseromania.ro/ultim...tre-bacau-ultima-misiune-a-mig-21_622607.html
It was suposed at the end of the nineties to be an interim solution. Still, 20 years later, they still serve.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMXywtXlUC4&t=2s


Affectionatly called by its pilots "the pipe" or "the Clothes iron".

First variants of Mig-21 entered in the Romanian Air Force service in 1962. In 15 may they are to be retrated from active service So, with all variants until the Lancer modernisation, a span of over 60 years.
 
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The aircrafts from the Lancer program were produced between 1969 and 1975, so half a century old.
https://www.targeta.co.uk/mig21_lancer.htm
By the retirement, some interviewed pilots said that one issue was mantining the radars (israeli EL/M-2032 produced some 25 years ago). So, with careful nurturing, even soviet aircrafts can have a long lifespan. Romania was able to perform the maintenance, modernisations and life time extensions internally, without dependence from russians.
https://www.aerostar.ro/militare-en
This is one main reason why the Mig-21 was preferred to the more modern Mig-29 for upgrade.

DSC03093-960x600.jpg
 
Wotan said:
There was a discussion about donating them to Ukraine, but they aparently refused.
https://www.twz.com/romania-should-give-the-mig-21-lancers-it-just-grounded-to-ukraine
Aparently they don`t longer have pilots trained for the Mig-21, and all the pilots are beeing prepared for the F-16.
Click to expand...

Everyone seems to forget that Romania’s upgraded MiG-21s have Israeli radars, EW pods and targeting pods. Continuing support of the systems and avionics would require a major policy shift by the Israeli government. So far, they’ve remained largely neutral.

Even without an export approval for the avionics, I suspect that the Romanians have been drawing down their stock of spare parts and have been cannibalizing airframes for years. Every country draws down a fleet in much the same way. Preservation of airframes probably hasn’t been much of a consideration either.

Finally, there is reputation of the MiG-21 as a “widow maker” in terms of peacetime attrition. I can honestly believe that no MiG-29 or Su-27 pilot would be anxious to convert to the type. In the current situation, after years of wartime losses, pilots are more valuable than airframes.
 
Around 20 aircrafts remained flyable at the time of their withdrawal.

Indeed, they have quite modern sensors and weapons. DASH sighting helmets, ELM2032 radars, Litening targeting pods, ELL-8222R jamming pods, israeli and french AA missiles, and israeli guided bombs.

https://elbitsystems.com/product/display-and-sight-helmet-system-dash/https://www.iai.co.il/p/elm-2032https://www.iai.co.il/p/ell-8212-ell-8222
image-2019-04-25-23109462-0-mig-21-lancer.jpg


The radar itself it is similar with the first F-16A/B radars and also similar or better with what the ukrainians have on their soviet legacy unmodernised Mig-29s. It can detect fighter sized targets at 60-80km, ships at over 300km distance.

It could have still been usefull as a strike fighter, antishipping missions, and cruise missile and drone hunter.

After the Gaza terrorist attacks from 2023, Israel and Russia are friends no more.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...t-rejects-hamas-role-in-ruling-gaza-after-warhttps://www.businessinsider.com/israel-russia-giving-ukraine-early-warning-systems-2024-3
They would have probably given their OK for this transfer.
 
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I wonder how worn out the airframes and other parts are by now?

It could have use for Ukraine as Wotan said as it's a whole lot better than nothing. The big issue with that I see would be the need to train Ukranian pilots on an aircraft with significantly different avionics than a normal MiG-21. I honestly am not sure if post-USSR Ukraine even operated MiG-21s or when they were retired if they did, so there may not even be any base of MiG-21 experience or spare parts to work with there.

Maybe the US could buy them for cheap for Aggressor use? Or that company that bought those Mirage F1s and is contracted for some training purposes? Yet the days of the MiG-21 are indeed coming to an end and I'm not even sure if it would be worth it to use it in that respect since relatively few are still in service now. I'm not sure in what capacity the Chinese J-7 is still in service with the PLAAF.
 
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The factory where the Migs were modernised, Aerostar, is right at the side of the airport were the last Lancers were flown in 2023 to be stored.
https://www.aerostar.ro/militare-enIt can make both airframe life extension and R13-300 engine life extension and repairs. Croatian Mig-21 were also also upgraded there
https://www.defense-aerospace.com/first-upgraded-mig-21ums-for-croatia/
Over 110 airframes were modernised in the Lancer program, they were gradually withdrawn as squadreons disbanded to only two. Two airframes were taken from storage to replace active aircrafts lost in accidents, so some of them are in flyable condition.

China still uses hundreds of J-7 Fishcan, licence build Mig-21s, and is thinking in converting them into drones, with whom it could overwhelm the Taiwan AA defence in case of invasion.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/mi...a-turning-soviet-fighters-into-combat-drones/
Another posible use for the stored Lancers.
 
Mig-21... Why take some risks when you can get top of the edge F-16 with a fuel tank capacity more adapted to Ukraine geography?

Left Migs are now certainly of any interest mainly for private ownership.
 
Yep, it's the end of the Mirage III / Phantom / MiG-21 era. Of course nobody in their right mind, back in 1961, could have foreseen the planes would last deep into the next century.
 
An interesting ideea.
https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_an..._decoys_but_is_it_worth_the_effort-12759.html
"Historically, the Soviet Union developed a process to convert MiG-21s into remotely controlled targets, designated as M21m."

"The psychological impact of using converted MiG-21s as kamikaze drones against russian military bases could be significant. However, this is where all the downsides begin.

First, Ukraine would need to negotiate with Croatia — or even Romania, which decommissioned its MiG-21 fleet in May 2023 — for access to these aircraft. "

Others think to perform the same conversion.
https://en.defence-ua.com/industrie...into_drones_for_jamming_air_defense-5961.html
https://www.defensemirror.com/news/...rt_Decommissioned_MiG_21_Aircraft_into_Drones
 
Wotan said:
An interesting ideea.
https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_an..._decoys_but_is_it_worth_the_effort-12759.html
"Historically, the Soviet Union developed a process to convert MiG-21s into remotely controlled targets, designated as M21m."

"The psychological impact of using converted MiG-21s as kamikaze drones against russian military bases could be significant. However, this is where all the downsides begin.

First, Ukraine would need to negotiate with Croatia — or even Romania, which decommissioned its MiG-21 fleet in May 2023 — for access to these aircraft. "

Others think to perform the same conversion.
https://en.defence-ua.com/industrie...into_drones_for_jamming_air_defense-5961.html
https://www.defensemirror.com/news/...rt_Decommissioned_MiG_21_Aircraft_into_Drones
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was thinking what Ukraine could do with donated MiG-21s, basically convert them into large, long-range cruise-missiles with ECM that can strike Russian targets that are otherwise out of range for Ukrainian missiles and drones.
 
Thanks Wotan, I did not know that Vietnam had some in the Hanoi Air Force museum.
 

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