DCS World: MIG 21 bis Takeoff, Performance and Landing

Getting familiar with the MiG-21 (older video).

A brief history and impact of MiG-21:

MiG-21 is a 1950's plane designed as a high speed interceptor. It was small (compared to US planes), simple, maneuverable and fast.

It held its own against 1960's US planes. Most notably the F-4 Phantom, that was bigger and more powerful, but less agile. Because of its power the Phantom could disengage almost at will, but if it chose to dogfight, the MiG would usually get the better of the Phantom.

This fact made the U.S. Air Force weary of the MiG-21, so it requested a new plane (replacement for the F-4) that had to be small, maneuverable and powerful.

General Dynamic F-16 and McDonnell Douglas YF-17 competed to see which one would win the Air Force contract and become the next Gen U.S. Air Force plane.

Air Force choose the F-16 Falcon, however the U.S. Navy saw the performance of the YF-17 and because it had 2 engines as opposed to one on the F-16, the Navy ordered the YF-17 as a replacement for its F-4 Phantoms.

The YF-17 is better known to day as F/A-18 Hornet.

So, both F-16 and F/A-18 owe their existence directly to this simple, fast and maneuverable Soviet fighter known as MiG-21

Видео DCS World: MIG 21 bis Takeoff, Performance and Landing канала GVad The Pilot