Mikoyan Gurevich : MiG-21 Fishbed

108 Pages·70.575 MB·English

by  E Gordon, Peter Davison

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VOLUME 45
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GORDON PETER
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• Covers allMiG-21 Upgrades • Global Operations
&' Variants • Mechanical Comparisons
• Technical Diagrams • Combat &' Armament
• Comprehensive Development Specifications
History
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U.S.A.
,
YEFIM GORDON and PETER DAVISON
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COPYRIGHT © 2006 Specialty Press
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ISBN-lO 1-58007-106-6
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and retrieval system, without permission from the publisherin writing.
Material contained inthis book is intended for historical and entertainmentvalue only,
and is notto be construed as usable for aircraft or component restoration, maintenance, orlise.
Printed in China
Frontcover:
The Ye-5 prototypedifferedfrom the Ye-4 in the engine installed. The Ye-5 was powered by5,098 lb-stAM-ll powerplant,
which boosted the top speed bynearly 700 kph (434.9 mph). The Ye-5 was unveiled on24 June 1955and NATO assigned
the reporting name Fishbed to the prototype. (RSKMiG)
Title page: The Ye-6Ujl, first ofthe two-seaters. (RSKMiG)
Backcover:
Top: The low-altitude performance and takeoff and landing performance of the F-7E used by the ''August 1" Aerobatic
Flying Team for flight presentation are improved because the double-delta wing and leading edge maneuver flap are
employed. (via Yefim Gordon)
Middle: The exportF-7 llA fighter was produced by the Chengdu AircraftIndustrial Corporation. (Yefim Gordon archive)
Bottom: MiG-21bis 9483 Red ofthe Polskie Wojska Lotnicze. (Waclaw Holys)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 4
Chapter 1 The Concept 5
Chapter 2 Wing Configuration 7
Chapter 3 Configuration 13
Chapter 4 MiG-21 in Detail. 19
Chapter 5 Getting it Right 25
Chapter 6 Fit For a mission 31
Chapter 7 ANew Generation 39
Chapter 8 Improving a Thoroughbred 47
Chapter 9 Twin Seat Success 50
Chapter 10 Variations on a Theme 55
Chapter 11 Made in China 63
The MiG-2l in Color 65
Chapter 12 Shooting to Kill 80
Chapter 13 Major Upgrades 87
Appendix 1 Exports and Other Upgrades 93
Appendix 2 MiG-21 Scale Model Kits 98
Appendix 3 Technical Drawings 100
INTRODUCTION
MiG-21 Designations (in order offirst flight)
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21,
lightweight air combat fighter, is
WS OKB Izdeliye ASCC
arguably the most famous military
/Ye-
aircraft in the world. Though the
Lockheed C-130 Hercules has
served with more air forces, since
World War II no otherwarplane has
Ye-2A 63 Faceplate
been manufactured in such large
Ye-5 Fishbed
numbers (over 10,000 in the Soviet
Ye-50/2
Union and about 2,000 in China
MiG-21F Ye-6T 72 Fishbed-B
and India), nor has any other fight
MiG-21F-13 Ye-6 74 Fishbed-B
er ever served with so many air MiG-21PF Ye-7 76 Fishbed-D
forces (the currentcountis 56). MiG-lIU Ye-6U 66 Mongol
The MiG-21 has a fairly short Ye-8/1
range and few weapons. The first MiG-21PFM Ye-7 94
series version had just two can MiG-21R 94R Fishbed-N
nons and enough ammunition for MiG-21S Ye-7S 95 Fishbed-H
a two-second burst, while the next
variant had two small missiles, but
no gun. The MiG-21 was designed MiG-21M 96 Fishbed-J (1)
to climb fast to high altitudes, and MiG-21I 21-31 - (2)
excel in close combat at all alti MiG-lIUS 68 Mongol-B
tudes. It had to be easy to main MiG-21MF 96F Fishbed-J (3)
tain, tough in the harshest envi MiG-21SMT 50 Fishbed-K'
MiG-21bis Ye-7bis 75 Fishbed-L (4)
ronments, and affordable.
Fishbed-N
This global success was the
fourth in succession achieved bythe
MiG design bureau (Opytno-Kon
struktorskoye Byuro - OKB) in the
Notes:
immediate postwar era. This bureau
1. BuiltbyHALinIndia.
had been formed in 1939 to take
2. Analog (non-digitallydesigned) wingtestbed, /1 and /2.
over the design of a small fighter
3. MiG-21MTwastheIzdeliye 96T.
with a large piston engine from
4. Productnumbers forMiG-21bis sub-variants are as follows:
Nikolai N. Polikarpov - a fighter
75Abis Lazur. Laterusedto denote MiG-21bisforWarPac.
thathad proved amodestsuccess.
75B bis SAU. Laterused for otherexports.
In contrast to some teams, mas 75P production ofVVS.
ters with piston-engine aircraft but
slow to learn about jets, the MiG
team tookto jets like ducks to water. over Korea and led to the MiG-21),
The inventive flair of Artyom MiG-17 (Fresco), and MiG-19
Ivanovich Mikoyan and the erudite (Farmer), all put into series produc
mathematical approach of Mikhail tion. The MiG-21 Fishbed was the
Iosifovich Gurevich led to the MiG-9 most successful of all, the name
(NATO reporting name Fargo), "MiG" became feared throughout
MiG-IS (Fagot, whichcausedtrouble theworld.
Korea proved that the dogfights of1916and 1940 werealiveand well in the
1950s. The MiG-15's combatdebutin the Korean War notonlysetWestern pulses racing, butbroughtaboutthe conceptofa
lightweightfighterfor the USSR. This was to takeshapeas the MiG-21.
WARBIRDTECH
4 ........
THE CONCEPT
O n 25 June 1950, North tum radius could be several miles. line performance; however, in their
Korea invaded South Korea. Thus, it was argued there would be desire for this goal the Lockheed
United Nations (UN) forces no possibility ofdose combat, only team made the wing incredibly
sprang to their defense, so, instead for a single pass with cannon or a small. The turning circle was enor
ofbeing a virtual walkover, the war standoff missile kill. Korea proved mous, and it was an unforgiving
lasted three years and ended in an thatthe dogfightwas alive and well. aircraft requiring experienced
unsatisfactory stalemate and The immediate task was to design pilots. In France, Dassault created
armistice. In the course of this bit fighters to take off quicker, climb the Mirage III after study of
ter conflict, numerous combats faster, fly faster (certainly at over Britain's Fairey Delta. This had a
2
took place between the Soviet Mach 1.5) and higher than their delta wing with an area of35.0 m
B
Union's MiG-IS and the U.S. North opponents, and then maneuverbet (377 ft2) and no horizontal tail; it
B
American F-86 Sabre. These two air ter to quickly get into gun firing was far from agile. The pilots were
D
craft, the first swept-wing jet fight positions. The same capability was trained to slam into afterburner,
ersto enterselVice, wereveryevenly expected for a kill with a guided point at the enemy, and fire - even
matched. During this campaign, missile when such things became when armed with a single unreli
'J fighter designers all over the world available. In turn, this meant that able missile. By 1957, Britain - a
H studied the results. Several evenvis the aircraft had to be quite small leader in fighter design in 1945
c
ited Korea (some Americans to the and powered by a turbojet with had created in the Saunders-Roe
H South, afew Russians to the North) afterburner for the greatest possible SR.I77, probably the best answer
(1) to talk to the pilots. The universal thrust. of all. By combining an afterburn
&- pleawas for increasedperformance. Best known of the American ing turbojet with a fully control
B Jet propulsion had made super solutions was the Lockheed F-104 lable rocket in an agile airframe
~ sonic speed possible, and supersonic Starfighter. Powered by the out with adequate wing area, this air
K' aircraft traveled in almost straight standing General Electric 179 craft promised a combination of
(4) lines. When they try to turn, the engine, it had unrivalled straight- unrivalled performance and agility
N
B
The North American F-86 Sabre proved acapable counterto the MiG-15 in theskies overKorea, butitwas no pushover.
Both types wenton to achieve long records ofservice. F-86F-26-NH of1952 illustrated. (Jay Miller collection)
5
---=------=----=--_.._- - ---- --
The F-104 Starfightersaw comparatively littleservicewith the "parent" airarm, beingamuchgreatersuccess in the export
marketas amulti-purposefighter. USAFF-104A-5-LO 56-739 is oneof153 built. (Jay Millercollection)
up to over 21,000 m (70,000 ft). ued the bureau's dominance, lead missiles (AAMs). Each case called
Unbelievably, the official view in ing to the outstanding MiG-19. for operating under close ground
Britain was that ground-based mis Such repeated success enabled the control by the "Markham" radio
siles had made all fighters obso MiG OKB to expand, hiring not network. The requirement for an
lete. Accordingly, the SR.177 was only many young graduates but agile light fighter enjoyed high pri
cancelled; the English Electric also numerous experienced engi ority; the fighter OKBs of Lav
Lightning was allowed to continue neers from the Sukhoi team. ochkin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, and
because "unfortunately it has pro In autumn 1953, the Kremlin Yakovlev carried out studies. The
ceeded too far to cancel." issued its requirement for a new Central Aerodynamic and Hydro
In Moscow many of the Soviet fighter. The MiG OKB already had a dynamic Institute (TSAGI, often
Union's designers met to discuss large number of experimental pro rendered in English phonetically
the British belief. The collective totypes usingvarious engines. Thus, as TsAGI) tested models in tran
opinion was universal: the British the MiG project design staff was sonic and supersonic tunnels to
had gone insane. Mikoyan, delight well placed to meet the new establish the best configuration.
ed at the cancellation of the demand for a lightweightfighter for Though some work was done on
SR.177, was not a man to rest on Frontovaya Aviatsionnaya (Frontal models with "straight" or sharply
his laurels. He had won with the Aviation), the arm of the VVS tapered wings, forward-swept
MiG-IS partly by being good but (Russian Air Force) tasked with wings, and tail-less deltas, most
also by being remarkably quick in providingtactical airpower. effort was applied to mid-wing
design and development. The earli The Kremlin demand called for shapes with either a sharply swept
er rivals, Lavochkin and Yakovlev, a level speed of Mach 2 at an alti or delta wing with a conventional
produced many designs, but never tude of 20 km (65,600 ft) while horizontal tail. Choice of engine
came anywhere near competing carrying guns. It also called for a was clearly crucial, and the deci
with the MiG-IS and MiG-17. From simple radar-ranging sight with sion was made to use the Mikulin
1952, Mikoyan's SM series contin- the ability later to carry air-to-air KB AM-9B.
WARBIRDTECH
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i__
WING CONFIGURATION
The MiG OKB had a reputation
for rapid development. In 1954
it was put to its greatest test. It
needed avariety ofprototypes - with
different engines - before anything
could becommittedto series produc
tion. Throughout, TsAGI provided
aerodynamic support though the
OKB was becoming more capable
with high-speed wind tunnels and a
newresearchlaboratory. Official portraitofYe-2, thefirst ofall the prototypes that led to the MiG-21. It
The immediate objective was to is parked on thesnow atLII-WS Zhukovskii, where nearlyall the prototype pho
follow TsAGI's principal tunnel-test tographs were taken, probablyjustbefore G. K. Mosolovflew itfor the first time
ed wing shapes. One was a tapered on 14 February 1955. (RSKMiG)
swept-wing with a sweep angle at
25% chord of 550 (the same as the / The snow has
melted to reveal
MiG-19), and the other a pure delta --
Zhukovskii's
with a leading-edge angle of 5]0,
apron oflarge
which was a new shape for the OKB
concrete
- and, indeed, for the USSR. Later in
squares. Note
the 1950s,withlargerprototypes, the
the conical inlet
OKB was to fly wings with different
centre-body
angles, but these two figures were
(first in the
adopted in every subsequent light
OKB), Mosolov
weight prototype and every MiG-21
looking through
variant.
the integral
The second objectivewas to hus
thick wind
tletheengine KB ofAAMikulin into
screen, and the
making available the new AM-H.
tailplane anti
This had been designed specifically
flutter weights.
for future lightsupersonicfighters by
(RSKMiG)
a team under Sergei K. Tumanskiy,
who had joined the Mikulin KB in
1949. Following his takeover, the
"AM" engine designations were
replaced with a plain "R" for reak-.
tivnyi (jet), or "RD" adding dvigatel
(engine). Engines ofhis design were
to be made in greater numbers than
any other, and were a key factor in
developmentoftheMiG-21.
The AM-H was precisely what
the MiG designers wanted. A study
was made oftheYe-l (Yedinitsa, "sin
gle unit" - or "one off") with the
AM-H. On paper a simple installa
tion and the larger jetpipe promised
to give an aerodynamically superior
"
rear fuselage. A further study was
7
In this view the Ye-2's differentskin materialsstandout, as Largefences, extra instrumentation sensors on the nose
do the whiteborders to the national militaryinsigniaand and a coolinginletat the fixed root ofthe tailplane
the largeslopingventral strakesatthe tail. (RSKMiG) characterize the Ye-2A, the second prototype to be powered
by an AM-ll. (RSKMiG)
An earlyAM-5 Single-shaft turbojet,
from which stemmed all the 25,000
engines used in MiG-2Is. (Yefim
Gordon archive)
Fuselage cross-section was
almost circular, determined by the
need to run the engine ducts on
each side of the cockpit. The nose
made in 1954 of the Ye-l with the AM-ll. These four types were all inlet was sharp edged and had a
AM-9Ye engine plus a liquid-pro planned with a circular nose inlet fixed geometry. The center-body
pellant rocket - this was designated with a small conical center-body, mounted on the vertical splitter that
Ye-50. While waiting for the AM-l1, one-piece "slab" horizontal tails, bifurcatedthe ducts pastthe cockpit.
the MiG designers had to use an and a unique pilot-escape system Frame No. 26 carried a plate-type
AM-9B, the simple single-shaft comprising an ejection seat pivoted ventral airbrake, two further air
afterburning engine with a maxi to the rear of a one-piece transpar brakes being hinged under the fuse
mum (reheat) rating of 3,250 kg ent canopy which, upon ejection, lagelevelwiththe leadingedge. Four
(7,165 lbs), as in the MiG-19. With would temporarilyenclosethe pilot fuel tanks were installed around the
this interim engine theYe-l became and actas aprotectivewindbreak. duct and engine, separated by fire
designated theYe-2. Construction was immediately walls with flame traps, and with
Compared with the AM-ll authorized for all five aircraft (these non-return valves in the piping. At
installation, the smaller engine four plus the Ye-50), the Ye-2 being frame No. 28, the rear fuselage
nozzle tapered the rear fuselage, slightly ahead of the others. This made integral with the fin - could
especially around the upper half. wing was reminiscent of a MiG-19 be detached for engine access or
Otherwise, the Ye-2 was changed wing, butscaledfrom 9.0 to 8.109 m removal. Underneath it were two
little from the stillborn Ye-l, the (26 ft 7 in) span and fitted with strakes, called keels, incorporating
principal modifications being to automatic slats. The aerofoil section bumpersto scrape a runwaywithout
add two-part slats on each outer was the sameTsAGI high-speed pro damage. In the base ofthe forward
wing and two quite large curved file, thickness/chord ratio 6%, and it fuselage were two NR-30 cannons.
aerodynamic strakes mounted was mounted fractionallybelow cen The guns were staggered, the right
obliquely under the rear fuselage. ter, with an anhedral of-3 Theroot hand beingfurtherforward, eachfed
o.
In parallel, the MiG OKB drew the rib was extended as a fairing ahead by a 60-round belt between the
Ye-2A with the eventual AM-ll ofthe leading edge and behind the engineductandtheskin.
engine, and two virtually identical trailingedge. Itwas carried on strong Theslab tail-planeswere mount
delta wing aircraft, the Ye-4 with fuselage frames to avoid the needfor ed high on the rear fuselage, on the
the AM-9B and the Ye-5 with the thesparsacrosstheengineducts. ends of short fixed root sections,
.W..A..RBIRDTECH
8