Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PF Fishbed-D – 2

This aircraft is on display at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, Arizona.

The MiG-21 is the most widely produced and used supersonic fighter ever with over 10,000 built since 1955.  The Fishbed was originally designed as a short-range interceptor to combat the B-52s and B-58s of the U.S. Air Force.  The later MiG-21PF version incorporated a better radar, and slightly longer range for use as an all-weather fighter.  The MiG-21, like its American counterpart the F-4 Phantom, does not have an internal gun and relies on missiles for air-to-air combat.  The MiG-21 was exported extensively to Soviet allies and client states many of whom still use the fighter for training.

Service History

Built for the Hungarian Air Force and delivered between 1964 and 1965.  It was retired by 1988.   It appears to have come into the collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps sometime in the early 1990s, but it is not known when it left Hungary.  The aircraft was placed on loan to the Pima Air and Space Museum by the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the year 2000.  In 2003, Pima placed it on loan to the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Mesa, Arizona.

Manufacturer
MiG

Markings
Hungarian Air Force, ca 1980

Designation
MiG-21PF

Serial Number
507