RU / OPFOR MiG-21 Fishbed (RWR: 21)

//Public Intel-Report
Last updated: 20230825

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In-DCS Unit View:

MiG-21
RWR: 21
Originators Designation: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21
NATO Reporting Name: Fishbed
Description:
Fishbed is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Approximately 60 countries across four continents have flown the MiG-21, and it still serves many nations six decades after its maiden flight.
Due to the mass production, the aircraft was very cheap.

KNOWN STATS:

AA ARMAMENT:	R-13,R-55,R-60
AA THREAT TYPE:	BVR / WVR
KNOWN RADAR RANGE:	10 NM
ENGINE:	Tumansky R-25-300
KNOWN TOP SPEED:	Mach 2.05
KNOWN TOP ALTITUDE:	57,400 ft
ROLE:	FIGHTER

 

[Wing]

This is another Redfor aircraft that we are experiencing encounters on a consistent basis in our OHOP Phase 2 campaign.

From my research, the best advice against MiG-21s is to NOT GET JUMPED! They are masters of flanking and jumping Western aircraft. (Soviet doctirne).

Fly high and fast - don’t stop for long anywhere in particular, maintain standoff to Red airbases of ~30nm and do not stay nearby to wait for the AMBUSHCAP to jump you. Run a diligent radar mech to keep them from getting under you, check six often and maintain mutual support with wingmen so you can spot anything crawling up behind you.

The MiG-21 lacks capabilities, and the SYAF/OPFOR understands this. So they will use non-conventional tactics to gain advantage.

Above all, just moderate where your mission flight plans are going. If you are too far behind the FLOT line of battle you will get jumped often, the only space you can effectively control is the bearing of your nose <10 miles and >60~ miles. anything closer and you likely aren’t going to see it.

From real world sources, the standard USAF principle was to simply never give them an opportunity to climb into your belly. These things are sneak-attack pests... treat them as such. If we meet employment criteria to employ BVR, the MiG-21 is not a threat to us. In high aspect BFM/ACM, the MiG-21 is not a significant threat to us. About the only time it presents a credible threat to us, is if it approaches us in the rear quarter, undetected long enough to close for either a gunshot or heater shot. If we are flying at tactical airspeeds, a tailchase will require them to approach to within a few miles for either WEZ, and in a spread formation, they can be seen before they approach firing range. Once visually spotted by a routine check six, we can perform a Threat Reaction. Drop stores, deploy countermeasures and break-to-six. Depending how close they were when we detected them, we are either looking at high aspect ACM, or defensive BFM - against one or both of missile and gun shots.