Разговор са пензионисаним индијским ваздухопловним маршалом Мутуманикамом МатесвараномCitat:Flying fighting in the MiG-21: In conversation with Air Marshal Matheswaran
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Small, fast and wickedly agile, the Soviet-designed MiG-21 was an extremely potent warplane. For two decades it formed the backbone of the Indian fighter force. We spoke to Air Marshal M Matheswaran (retd) about what it was like to fly and fight in the MiG-21.
When did you first fly a MiG-21 and what were your first impressions?
I began flying the MiG-21s in 1976. At that time it was the prime aircraft in the Air Force. Quite obviously it was great to be selected to go into a MiG-21 squadron. First impressions – fascinating, sleek, and fast.
What were the greatest limitations of the MiG-21?
None really. Particularly in performance, considering that period and environment. However, since it was truly light it carried limited fuel. Hence, range and endurance was low, as we entered the mid 80s and 90s...
What is the greatest myth or misunderstanding of the MiG-21?
I suppose myth and misunderstanding were more about reliability . That was a fallacy, that Russian technology was unreliable. Russian technology was very robust and reliable, provided you ensured your inventory management and logistics well. In performance much of the myths came from Israelis victories against the Arabs. This was primarily due to poor pilot skills and training. India evolved its own training methodologies and tactics development. Americans knew the aircraft well from their Vietnam experience. So finally any aircraft is only as good as the man behind the machine. The MiG-21, in its time, was an exceptional aircraft in good hands.
Which variant of the MiG-21 did you fly? What were the various merits of the different Indian variants?
All variants, starting from the Fishbed. The Fishbed (we called it Type 74) was very light, highly agile, and the most beautiful to handle, even in extreme low speeds. The subsequent versions became heavier, as they increased their internal fuel, more equipment etc. The MiG-21M was heavier but had the same engine (R-11), as the Fishbed, and so became less efficient at low speeds. MiG-21MF had an improved radar and a more powerful engine (R-13), and so had similar performance as the Fishbed. The MiG-21Bis was the best of them, it was upgraded for multi-role operations. With wing tanks it had a good range. It could go supersonic at low level, out accelerate the M2000 (hence F-16) at low level. It had a very powerful engine (R-33) with a second reheat, a good sighting system and a good radar (Almaz). The Bis’s nose was heavier, and so its slow speed handling was slightly inferior to the Fishbed, but its other strengths made it a truly classy aircraft. The Bis was later upgraded to Bison, which was excellent...
Da, ima par kadrova sa te vezbe 1984 ali i iz prethodne 1972. kada su zajedno poletali Sovjeti i Cehoslovaci sa po 36 aviona MiG-21 i Su-7.
Delove iz vazduha (1984. godine) su snimali sa "sparkom" MIG-21 piloti Vaclav Vasek u prednjoj kabini za komandama (tada komandant 11.LAP-a) i iz zadnje kabine "kamerman" pilot Vlada Balda iz puka u Dobranima (5.LAP) koji je takodje bio u sastavu te divizije PVO drzave (sediste divizije bilo je na aerodromu Zatec)...
In 1964, the MiG-21 Scored Its First Kill — Against an American Oil Company
Citat:At 8:04 in the morning local time, as the C-82 entered Egyptian air space over the Sinai Desert south of Aqaba, two MiG-21F-13s scrambled from Meliz. From the Egyptian perspective, the situation was anything but clear. An unknown aircraft on an unannounced flight — and thus lacking over-flight clearance — was approaching from the general direction of Israel.
The MiGs intercepted the C-82 and, unable to establish radio communication, their pilots instructed the crew to land at Cairo International. Initially at least, Williams followed their instructions. After passing Ras Sudar on the Red Sea coast, he descended to an altitude of 10,500 feet and turned in the direction of Cairo International.
Williams attempted several times to contact flight control — without success. When the C-82 reached a point around 70 miles northwest of Cairo International, the two MiGs — by now critically short of fuel — departed.
At this point and for reasons that aren’t clear, Williams changed his mind. Instead of landing at Cairo International, he turned his aircraft toward Alexandria. Initially following a narrow commercial air corridor, at some point he made a slight turn toward the west, directly toward a prohibited military zone.
The UARAF scrambled another pair of MiG-21s — this time from Inchas Air Base. Their pilots quickly intercepted the lumbering transport and fired their 30-millimeter cannons across its nose in order to warn the crew. When there was no reaction, they aimed for the engines. At 10:17, multiple cannon rounds ripped apart one of the C-82’s engines and the wing.
The C-82 crashed in flames in the swamp near Lake Idku on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea some 20 miles east of Alexandria. It was found approximately 10 miles from the center of the commercial corridor, its wreckage scattered over 800 square yards. Both crew were dead. A civilian transport owned by a U.S. company thus became the MiG-21’s first kill.
Iz knjige pokojnog pilota-lovca Roberta Dela Krocea `Prica jednog borbenog pilota` ( str. 12 ).
`U to vreme svi smo bili pod utiscima aktuelnog filma Top Gun`
JNA Top Gun
Postoji i duza verzija ovog snimka sa hitom iz filma ,cak se cuje i zenski glas iz kontrolnog tornja tokom izdavanja komandi za poletanje na startu ,da li moze da se nadje taj snimak ?
Ima i ova verzija `u reziji` istocnih Svaba ,na verziji F-13 .
