Overview

The MiG-21 originated with an official request from the Soviet authorities in 1954 for a light, high-performance (Mach 2 at 20 000 m) frontline fighter to protect military and production installations from potential raids by American bombers. Built for almost half a century in twenty or so different versions, in four successive generations, the “Fishbed” (its NATO codename) was not only the jet which was built in the largest numbers in the whole of aviation history, but also the aircraft which was built in greatest numbers since the end of the Second World War, all types and all countries included. Used by fifty or so air forces on four of the five continents, the MiG-21 took part in most of the major conflicts during the four last decades, from the Six-Day War in 1967 to the Balkans in 1999. At the present time more than a thousand examples of this fighter, of which a large number were built in China (Shenyang F-7 and J-7) are still in service, with their career continuing thanks to modernisation programmes for the surviving aircraft which have enabled them to pass cheerfully into the 21st Century.

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9782352501473

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The most inspirational part of the book is pages and pages of excellent colour profiles running through the air forces around the world that operated the MiG 21... These profiles show a multitude of different colour schemes with some spectacularly colourful specials. Military in Scale

Author Information

Gerard Paloque, former crew member of the Air Force, specializes in profiles of aerial fighters of all times and is the author of numerous books published by Histoire & Collections (Patrouilles aériennes, la 5th Air Force, F4 Phantom...).

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