MiG-21SMT - Revision history

U12017485: /* Pros and cons */ Simplified, clarified

2024-11-06T17:04:34Z

‎Pros and cons: Simplified, clarified

U38088265: /* Armaments */

2024-03-16T13:27:02Z

‎Armaments

U38088265: /* Description */

2023-10-06T08:36:53Z

‎Description

U81436767: /* Description */ New Description Project

2023-10-06T00:21:55Z

‎Description: New Description Project

U44629479: Edits

2023-03-04T14:00:51Z

Edits

U138796218: /* Pros and cons / /Usage in battle*/

2023-03-04T09:52:44Z

‎Pros and cons: ‎Usage in battle

U17577377: /* Description */

2023-01-11T11:14:40Z

‎Description

U44629479: Edits

2022-12-09T20:28:49Z

Edits

U44629479: Edits

2022-08-31T18:47:46Z

Edits

U79942984: Wrote intro.

2022-08-31T17:53:54Z

Wrote intro.

@@ Line 255: / Line 255: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* High thrust-to-weight ratio
+* High thrust-to-weight ratio, resulting in excellent acceleration and rate of climb
 * High top speed
 * One of the many MiG-21 variants capable of using a radar missile, being the [[R-3R]]
 * Maintains speed and energy in turns better than the [[MiG-21 F-13|MiG-21F-13]]
@@ Line 269: / Line 267: @@
 '''Cons:'''
 * GSh-23L cannon is mounted oddly and has poor ballistics
 * Radar has shorter detection range than most competitors

@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:
-* A choice between two presets:
+* 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (200 rpg)
 The GSh-23L fires at a rate of 3,396 rounds per minute, which leaves the plane with a 3.53 second firing time.
@@ Line 153: / Line 151: @@
 {{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}
 <!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
-The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
+The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
-* Without load
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
-* 2 x R-3S missiles
+|-
-* 2 x R-3R missiles
+! !! width="9%" | 1 !! width="9%" | 2 !! width="9%" | 3 !! width="9%" | 4 !! width="9%" | 5
-* 4 x R-3S missiles
+| rowspan="12" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_MiG-21bis.png]]</div>
-* 4 x R-3R missiles
+|-
-* 4 x R-60 missiles
+! [[OFAB-250sv (250 kg)|250 kg OFAB-250sv]] bombs
-* 64 x S-5K rockets
+| 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1
 |-
-! !! width="11%" | 1 !! width="11%" | 2 !! width="11%" | 3 !! width="11%" | 4
+! [[FAB-500M-54 (500 kg)|500 kg FAB-500M-54]] bombs
-| rowspan="10" width="25%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_MiG-21bis.png]]</div>
+| || 1 || || 1 ||
 |-
-! 250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs
+! [[ZB-500 incendiary]] bombs
-| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
+| || 1 || || 1 ||
 |-
-! 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs
+! [[S-5K]] rockets
-| || 1 || 1 ||
+| 16 || 16, 32 || || 16, 32 || 16
 |-
-! ZB-500 incendiary bombs
+! [[S-24]] rockets
-| || 1 || 1 ||
+| 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1
 |-
-! S-5K rockets
+! [[R-3R]] missiles
-| 16 || 16, 32 || 16, 32 || 16
+| 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1
 |-
-! S-24 rockets
+! [[R-3S]] missiles
-| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
+| 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1
 |-
-! R-3R missiles
+! [[R-60]] missiles
-| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
+| 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1
 |-
-! R-3S missiles
+! Countermeasures
-| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
+| || || 64 || ||
 |-
-! R-60 missiles
+! 490 l drop tanks
-| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
+| 1 || || 1 || || 1
 |-
-| colspan="5" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 570 kg
+| colspan="6" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 570 kg
 |-
 |}
 The {{PAGENAME}} can be armed with both anti-air missiles and ground strike ordnance on its four hard-point pylons under the wing. While most of the weapons can be seen on other aircraft, the unique weapon that this aircraft can carry is R-60 IR air-to-air missile. Compared to R-3S which can be found on most Soviet aircraft capable of launching missiles, R-60 has a much more sophisticated IR tracking system, allowing it to track targets up to 5 km away, and keep them on its sights at a much faster pace, which results in a reliable lock that not many targets can shake off. R-60 can also be fired in a wider range of situations, as the missile can track targets while on the pylon. This is critical to how the missile works which means that the missile has a much higher launch load factor and is able to intercept targets immediately after being launched. This is much different than the R-3S which tracks targets only half a second after launch and needs the platform to stay still in order to track the target, leaving the aircraft vulnerable to attacks. R-60 is a much smaller missile than R-3S, weighing at 44 kg instead of 77 kg that an R-3S weighs. Missile's explosive payload is also significantly smaller, weighing at 3.5 kg. Rocket motors on R-60 are much smaller than on R-3S and this means that R-60 is much slower than R-3S, and even though it can lock on targets at 5 km, it has a lower range than R-3S. In practice, R-60 is a reliable and potent anti-aircraft weapon that excels at taking out even nimble targets in dogfights at ranges from 300 m to 2 km but is unable to reach targets beyond 3 km due to its less powerful rocket motors. R-3S, however, can only be used reliably at targets which are not paying attention or are unable to react quickly to a missile launch, but they can also be used to intercept targets at much further ranges than R-60.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-During the early 1970s, the issue of low range in the MiG-21s was brought to attention of the higher ups in the Soviet Union and the Mikoyan design chain. The issue caused by high fuel consumption of the R-13 engine coupled with the small amount of fuel carried on board in this interceptor's small airframe. Two solutions were quickly devised, the first being a upgraded, more efficient engine, which would not be ready for a while. The other solution was to simply hammer in a larger fuel tank into the MiG-21's airframe. The resulting design for the second solution was the MiG-21SMT (''Sapfir Modernizirovannyy Toplivo,'' "Saphire [Radar], Modernized, Fuel [Increased]"). This variant featured a plethora of upgrades, namely the updated model of the Saphir radar and its respective fire control system, allowing the aircraft to use not only [[R-3R]] radar guided missiles, but the latest [[R-60]] and [[R-60M]] close range missiles. But the largest difference in this variant was the increased fuel load from the comically large saddle tank added, earning this variant the nickname "Hunchback" among its pilots, who strongly disliked flying it. The SMT also featured a strongly upgraded engine, to cope with the weight increase of the extra fuel and new avionics, but this was sadly not enough to appease the pilots, who found the SMT to be generally unfavorable to fly compared to the older, lighter, and more nimble Fishbeds. The "Hunchback" was so unpopular with Soviet pilots (who regularly complained to their higher ups about the SMT), that all MiG-21SMTs were rebuilt into the MiG-21ST variant starting from 1972, which was essentially just a MiG-21SMT with the smaller (and lighter) saddle tank from the [[MiG-21bis]].
+During the early 1970s, the issue of low range in the MiG-21s was brought to attention of the higher ups in the Soviet Union and the Mikoyan design chain. The issue caused by high fuel consumption of the R-13 engine coupled with the small amount of fuel carried on board in this interceptor's small airframe. Two solutions were quickly devised, the first being a upgraded, more efficient engine, which would not be ready for a while. The other solution was to simply hammer in a larger fuel tank into the MiG-21's airframe. The resulting design for the second solution was the MiG-21SMT (''Sapfir Modernizirovannyy Toplivo,'' "Sapphire [Radar], Modernized, Fuel [Increased]"). This variant featured a plethora of upgrades, namely the updated model of the Sapfir radar and its respective fire control system, allowing the aircraft to use not only [[R-3R]] radar guided missiles, but the latest [[R-60]] and [[R-60M]] close range missiles. But the largest difference in this variant was the increased fuel load from the comically large saddle tank added, earning this variant the nickname "Hunchback" among its pilots, who strongly disliked flying it. The SMT also featured a strongly upgraded engine, to cope with the weight increase of the extra fuel and new avionics, but this was sadly not enough to appease the pilots, who found the SMT to be generally unfavourable to fly compared to the older, lighter, and more nimble Fishbeds. The "Hunchback" was so unpopular with Soviet pilots (who regularly complained to their higher ups about the SMT), that all MiG-21SMTs were rebuilt into the MiG-21ST variant starting from 1972, which was essentially just a MiG-21SMT with the smaller (and lighter) saddle tank from the [[MiG-21bis]].
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO Code: Fishbed-K) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}, which was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]] , is a third-generation variant of the MiG-21 family. Being the first Soviet fighter with access to countermeasures in War Thunder, this aircraft opens many new doors to pilots of the Soviet tree. The SMT also brings with it many new weapons to the Soviet fighter line, such as the [[R-3R]] radar missile and the deadly [[R-60]] close range missile. In addition to the under-the-hood upgrades, the SMT also features a very strong engine, allowing for fast acceleration and great top speed, and also features a massive increase in fuel capacity, resulting in a steep weight increase. All of these changes from previous fighters require pilots of the MiG-21SMT to completely re-learn how they fly and engage enemy aircraft, as the SMT will very quickly bleed its speed during almost any manouver, but on the off-hand can easily gain it back if it disengages safely and flies straight using the powerful engine. Most importantly, this aircraft acts as a decisive criterion in the play style of the Soviet jets that follow it. Players who enjoy this aircraft for its flight performance and ability to dogfight most of its adversaries up close should move on to research the foldered [[MiG-21bis]], the ultimate Soviet MiG-21 model, while those that favor this aircraft's avionics and missile advantages over its opponents can advance directly to the [[MiG-23M]] Flogger, a radically different design which relies a lot more on its strong missiles and avionics than its flight performance.
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO Code: Fishbed-K) was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]]. Being the first Soviet fighter in the game with access to countermeasures, this aircraft opens many new doors to pilots of the Soviet tree. The SMT also brings with it many new weapons to the Soviet fighter line, such as the [[R-3R]] radar missile and the deadly [[R-60]] close range missile. In addition to the under-the-hood upgrades, the SMT also features a very strong engine, allowing for fast acceleration and great top speed, and also features a massive increase in fuel capacity, resulting in a steep weight increase. All of these changes from previous fighters require pilots of the MiG-21SMT to completely re-learn how they fly and engage enemy aircraft, as the SMT will very quickly bleed its speed during almost any manoeuvre, but on the other hand can easily gain it back if it disengages safely and flies straight using the powerful engine. Most importantly, this aircraft acts as a decisive criterion in the play style of the Soviet jets that follow it. Players who enjoy this aircraft for its flight performance and ability to dogfight most of its adversaries up close should move on to research the foldered [[MiG-21bis]], the ultimate Soviet MiG-21 model, while those that favour this aircraft's avionics and missile advantages over its opponents may wish to advance directly to the [[MiG-23M]] Flogger, a radically different design which relies much more on its strong missiles and avionics than its flight performance.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 216: / Line 216: @@
 '''Enemies worth noting'''
 * [[F-8E]] - A common enemy, while it turns worse, it retains energy significantly better. It is capable of carrying AIM-9C SARH guided AAMs, which can be very dangerous at higher altitude if chaff is not carried.
 * [[F-5C]] - One of if not your most common enemy. it retains energy better but struggles regaining speed when at low speed due to poor engine power.
 * [[MiG-21MF (Germany)|MiG-21MF]] - The MiG-21MF is very similar to the MiG-21SMT, it carries R-60 missiles which are very hard to evade by manoeuvring alone, however it can be fooled by flares very easily.
 * [[Mirage IIIE]] - Carries the Matra Magic I AAM that are nearly impossible to dodge without flares. However, when in a dogfight, the Mirage IIIE is inferior in almost every aspect.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO Code: Fishbed-K) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].
+During the early 1970s, the issue of low range in the MiG-21s was brought to attention of the higher ups in the Soviet Union and the Mikoyan design chain. The issue caused by high fuel consumption of the R-13 engine coupled with the small amount of fuel carried on board in this interceptor's small airframe. Two solutions were quickly devised, the first being a upgraded, more efficient engine, which would not be ready for a while. The other solution was to simply hammer in a larger fuel tank into the MiG-21's airframe. The resulting design for the second solution was the MiG-21SMT (''Sapfir Modernizirovannyy Toplivo,'' "Saphire [Radar], Modernized, Fuel [Increased]"). This variant featured a plethora of upgrades, namely the updated model of the Saphir radar and its respective fire control system, allowing the aircraft to use not only [[R-3R]] radar guided missiles, but the latest [[R-60]] and [[R-60M]] close range missiles. But the largest difference in this variant was the increased fuel load from the comically large saddle tank added, earning this variant the nickname "Hunchback" among its pilots, who strongly disliked flying it. The SMT also featured a strongly upgraded engine, to cope with the weight increase of the extra fuel and new avionics, but this was sadly not enough to appease the pilots, who found the SMT to be generally unfavorable to fly compared to the older, lighter, and more nimble Fishbeds. The "Hunchback" was so unpopular with Soviet pilots (who regularly complained to their higher ups about the SMT), that all MiG-21SMTs were rebuilt into the MiG-21ST variant starting from 1972, which was essentially just a MiG-21SMT with the smaller (and lighter) saddle tank from the [[MiG-21bis]].
-The MiG-21SMT is a third-generation model of the famous "Fishbed" family. The external appearance differs from the [[MiG-21F-13]] with a larger nose housing a search radar and a bulging fuselage spine holding more fuel. Under the hood, it is a significantly modified and improved aircraft: a dual-barrel 23 mm GSh-23 cannon replaces the single NR-30, the engine is much more powerful, it has access to a decent number of chaff/flare countermeasures, and the missile armament has been greatly improved with the addition of the radar-guided R-3R and the highly agile IR-guided R-60. Other than that, the classic MiG-21 handling characteristics of high speed, good short-term turning, high manoeuvring energy loss, and poor low-speed handling still apply. The MiG-21SMT can also pull double duty in the ground attack role for mixed battles, because four S-24 heavy rockets and a ballistic computer is enough to dispatch several ground targets.
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO Code: Fishbed-K) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}, which was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]] , is a third-generation variant of the MiG-21 family. Being the first Soviet fighter with access to countermeasures in War Thunder, this aircraft opens many new doors to pilots of the Soviet tree. The SMT also brings with it many new weapons to the Soviet fighter line, such as the [[R-3R]] radar missile and the deadly [[R-60]] close range missile. In addition to the under-the-hood upgrades, the SMT also features a very strong engine, allowing for fast acceleration and great top speed, and also features a massive increase in fuel capacity, resulting in a steep weight increase. All of these changes from previous fighters require pilots of the MiG-21SMT to completely re-learn how they fly and engage enemy aircraft, as the SMT will very quickly bleed its speed during almost any manouver, but on the off-hand can easily gain it back if it disengages safely and flies straight using the powerful engine. Most importantly, this aircraft acts as a decisive criterion in the play style of the Soviet jets that follow it. Players who enjoy this aircraft for its flight performance and ability to dogfight most of its adversaries up close should move on to research the foldered [[MiG-21bis]], the ultimate Soviet MiG-21 model, while those that favor this aircraft's avionics and missile advantages over its opponents can advance directly to the [[MiG-23M]] Flogger, a radically different design which relies a lot more on its strong missiles and avionics than its flight performance.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 218: / Line 218: @@
 '''Enemies worth noting'''
-* F-8E - A common enemy, while it turns worse, it retains energy significantly better. It is capable of carrying Aim-9C SARH guided AAMs, which can be very dangerous at higher altitude if chaff is not carried.
+* [[F-8E]] - A common enemy, while it turns worse, it retains energy significantly better. It is capable of carrying AIM-9C SARH guided AAMs, which can be very dangerous at higher altitude if chaff is not carried.
-* F-5C - One of if not your most common enemy. it retains energy better but struggles regaining speed when at low speed due to poor engine power.
+* [[F-5C]] - One of if not your most common enemy. it retains energy better but struggles regaining speed when at low speed due to poor engine power.
+* [[MiG-21MF (Germany)|MiG-21MF]] - The MiG-21MF is very similar to the MiG-21SMT, it carries R-60 missiles which are very hard to evade by manoeuvring alone, however it can be fooled by flares very easily.
-* Mig-21MF - The Mig-21MF is very similar to you, it carries R60 missiles which are very hard to evade by maneuvering alone, however it can be fooled by flares very easily.
+* [[Mirage IIIE]] - Carries the Matra Magic I AAM that are nearly impossible to dodge without flares. However, when in a dogfight, the Mirage IIIE is inferior in almost every aspect.
 === Radars ===

@@ Line 218: / Line 218: @@
 '''Enemies worth noting'''
-* [[F-4E]]/[[F-4EJ|EJ]] - Most common enemy, their potent missile armament is something to be feared but the SMT will beat it in a dogfight. [[F-4C]]s, [[Phantom FGR.2|FGR.2s]], and [[Phantom FG.1|FG.1s]] are effectively the same plane with different missiles.
+* F-8E - A common enemy, while it turns worse, it retains energy significantly better. It is capable of carrying Aim-9C SARH guided AAMs, which can be very dangerous at higher altitude if chaff is not carried.
-* [[Mirage IIIC]] - High priority targets, their missiles are nearly undodgeable. The SMT can win a dogfight, but it is a 50/50 chance and depends on pilot skill and crew.
+* Mig-21MF - The Mig-21MF is very similar to you, it carries R60 missiles which are very hard to evade by maneuvering alone, however it can be fooled by flares very easily.
+* Mirage IIIE - Carries the Matra Magic I AAM that are nearly undodgeable without flares. However when in a dogfight the Mirage IIIE is inferior in almost every aspect.
 === Radars ===
@@ Line 258: / Line 258: @@
 * Excellent acceleration from 1,000 - 1,200 km/h
 * Excellent rate of climb, can maintain mach 1+ at 30 degrees
 * One of the many MiG-21 variants capable of using a radar missile, being the [[R-3R]]
 * Maintains speed and energy in turns better than the [[MiG-21 F-13|MiG-21F-13]]
@@ Line 282: / Line 281: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mig-21_smt Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
@@ Line 293: / Line 293: @@
 ;[[MiG-21 (Family)|Related development]]
 * {{Specs-Link|mig-21_mf}}
 * {{Specs-Link|mig-21_f13}}

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 Manoeuvrability-wise, the SMT is extremely nimble at lower altitudes, where its high AoA can outweigh its high wing load, and high acceleration can mitigate speed loss, allowing it to pull hard turns, provided the pilot monitors the speed. At high altitudes, the story is different, as it proves to be very unresponsive, leaving the user vulnerable to attacks, particularly to missiles. One more characteristic any prospecting user should note is that the aircraft tends to break its wings beyond 11 G, and considering the {{PAGENAME}} will merrily pull over 12 G at high speed turns if the boosters modification is equipped, unequipping it may help if the pilot has trouble with wings ripping.
-When it comes to raw straight-line speed, the {{PAGENAME}} can get to its top speed much faster than its contemporary fighters at any altitude. In fact, speed should always be monitored, as it can easily reach its relatively high wing speed limit of ~1300 km/h indicated airspeed (IAS), even at level flight. High acceleration and high top speed mean that the {{PAGENAME}} is more than able to intercept almost any target, the only exception being [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]] which is already sitting at its top speed. One more notable feature is that due to its low weight and high thrust, energy management is a breeze and the aircraft will quickly both lose and gain speed, which may prove useful when trying to stay on the target's back.
+When it comes to raw straight-line speed, the {{PAGENAME}} can get to its top speed much faster than its contemporary fighters at any altitude. In fact, speed should always be monitored, as it can easily reach its relatively high wing speed limit of ~1,300 km/h indicated airspeed (IAS), even at level flight. High acceleration and high top speed mean that the {{PAGENAME}} is more than able to intercept almost any target, the only exception being [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]] which is already sitting at its top speed. One more notable feature is that due to its low weight and high thrust, energy management is a breeze and the aircraft will quickly both lose and gain speed, which may prove useful when trying to stay on the target's back.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
@@ Line 207: / Line 207: @@
 |}
-The {{PAGENAME}} can be armed with both anti-air missiles and ground strike ordnance on its four hard-point pylons under the wing. While most of the weapons can be seen on other aircraft, the unique weapon that this aircraft can carry is R-60 IR air-to-air missile. Compared to R-3S which can be found on most Russian aircraft capable of launching missiles, R-60 has a much more sophisticated IR tracking system, allowing it to track targets up to 5 km away, and keep them on its sights at a much faster pace, which results in a reliable lock that not many targets can shake off. R-60 can also be fired in a wider range of situations, as the missile can track targets while on the pylon. This is critical to how the missile works which means that the missile has a much higher launch load factor and is able to intercept targets immediately after being launched. This is much different than the R-3S which tracks targets only half a second after launch and needs the platform to stay still in order to track the target, leaving the aircraft vulnerable to attacks. R-60 is a much smaller missile than R-3S, weighing at 44 kg instead of 77 kg that an R-3S weighs. Missile's explosive payload is also significantly smaller, weighing at 3.5 kg. Rocket motors on R-60 are much smaller than on R-3S and this means that R-60 is much slower than R-3S, and even though it can lock on targets at 5 km, it has a lower range than R-3S. In practice, R-60 is a reliable and potent anti-aircraft weapon that excels at taking out even nimble targets in dogfights at ranges from 300 m to 2 km but is unable to reach targets beyond 3 km due to its less powerful rocket motors. R-3S, however, can only be used reliably at targets which are not paying attention or are unable to react quickly to a missile launch, but they can also be used to intercept targets at much further ranges than R-60.
+The {{PAGENAME}} can be armed with both anti-air missiles and ground strike ordnance on its four hard-point pylons under the wing. While most of the weapons can be seen on other aircraft, the unique weapon that this aircraft can carry is R-60 IR air-to-air missile. Compared to R-3S which can be found on most Soviet aircraft capable of launching missiles, R-60 has a much more sophisticated IR tracking system, allowing it to track targets up to 5 km away, and keep them on its sights at a much faster pace, which results in a reliable lock that not many targets can shake off. R-60 can also be fired in a wider range of situations, as the missile can track targets while on the pylon. This is critical to how the missile works which means that the missile has a much higher launch load factor and is able to intercept targets immediately after being launched. This is much different than the R-3S which tracks targets only half a second after launch and needs the platform to stay still in order to track the target, leaving the aircraft vulnerable to attacks. R-60 is a much smaller missile than R-3S, weighing at 44 kg instead of 77 kg that an R-3S weighs. Missile's explosive payload is also significantly smaller, weighing at 3.5 kg. Rocket motors on R-60 are much smaller than on R-3S and this means that R-60 is much slower than R-3S, and even though it can lock on targets at 5 km, it has a lower range than R-3S. In practice, R-60 is a reliable and potent anti-aircraft weapon that excels at taking out even nimble targets in dogfights at ranges from 300 m to 2 km but is unable to reach targets beyond 3 km due to its less powerful rocket motors. R-3S, however, can only be used reliably at targets which are not paying attention or are unable to react quickly to a missile launch, but they can also be used to intercept targets at much further ranges than R-60.
 When it comes to dumb-fire rockets, {{PAGENAME}} can carry S-5K 55 mm rockets and S-24 240 mm rockets. S-5K have a small warhead that is able to penetrate 150 mm of armour at 0°. However, due to their small warhead, they need a direct hit on the target in order to do any damage and even if they do connect, the damage is minimal to any armoured target. S-24, though, is a 235 kg behemoth, capable of taking out most targets with a single hit.
@@ Line 259: / Line 259: @@
 * Excellent rate of climb, can maintain mach 1+ at 30 degrees
 * R-60 missile is tied as the highest G loading missile in-game (can lock on in most side aspect scenarios)
-* One of the many MiG-21 variants capable of using a radar missile, being the the [[R-3R]]
+* One of the many MiG-21 variants capable of using a radar missile, being the [[R-3R]]
 * Maintains speed and energy in turns better than the [[MiG-21 F-13|MiG-21F-13]]
 * Its RP-22SM radar has high tracking range
@@ Line 276: / Line 276: @@
 == History ==
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
-The MiG-21 was a supersonic interceptor aircraft designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (Mikoyan OKB) located in the Soviet Union. The development of the aircraft began in early 1950's, when Mikoyan OKB finished their first design of the aircraft designated as Ye-1. However, the prototype was quickly determined to be too under-powered, and led to the a redesign of the aircraft, designated Ye-2. Both of these aircraft and the prototype to follow had swept back wings, such as those found on the MiG-15. The first prototype to have the signature delta wings of the MiG-21 was the Ye-4. The aircraft made it's maiden flight on June 16th, 1955, and made its first public appearance during the Soviet Aviation Display at Moscow's Tushino Airfield in July 1956. The MiG 21 became the Soviet Unions first successful fighter and interceptor aircraft, it was lightweight, and had a powerful afterburner, allowing it to reach speeds of up to Mach 2, and was comparable to the French Dassault Mirage III, and American Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and  Lockheed F-104 Starfighter at the time. However, the aircraft had a short range, which was worsened by the poor placement of its fuel tanks. Due to this, the development of the MiG-21 SMT began. The SMT variant of the MiG-21 contained more fuel tanks in the spine of the aircraft, which resulted in the aircraft being hard to fly as a result of the enlarged spine. The fuel tank however, did give the aircraft an increased range of up to 250 km (155 mi). The SMT variant also had an electronic countermeasures capability. The MiG-21 SMT is no longer in service.
+The MiG-21 was a supersonic interceptor aircraft designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (Mikoyan OKB) located in the Soviet Union. The development of the aircraft began in early 1950's, when Mikoyan OKB finished their first design of the aircraft designated as Ye-1. However, the prototype was quickly determined to be too under-powered, and led to the a redesign of the aircraft, designated Ye-2. Both of these aircraft and the prototype to follow had swept back wings, such as those found on the MiG-15. The first prototype to have the signature delta wings of the MiG-21 was the Ye-4. The aircraft made it's maiden flight on June 16th, 1955, and made its first public appearance during the Soviet Aviation Display at Moscow's Tushino Airfield in July 1956. The MiG 21 became the Soviet Unions first successful fighter and interceptor aircraft, it was lightweight, and had a powerful afterburner, allowing it to reach speeds of up to Mach 2, and was comparable to the French Dassault Mirage III, and American Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter at the time. However, the aircraft had a short range, which was worsened by the poor placement of its fuel tanks. Due to this, the development of the MiG-21 SMT began. The SMT variant of the MiG-21 contained more fuel tanks in the spine of the aircraft, which resulted in the aircraft being hard to fly as a result of the enlarged spine. The fuel tank however, did give the aircraft an increased range of up to 250 km (155 mi). The SMT variant also had an electronic countermeasures capability. The MiG-21 SMT is no longer in service.
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 The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].
-The MiG-21SMT is a third-generation model of the famous "Fishbed" family. The external appearance differs from the [[MiG-21F-13]] with a larger nose housing a search radar and a bulging fuselage spine holding more fuel. Under the hood, it is a significantly modified and improved aircraft: a dual-barrel 23 mm GSh-23 cannon replaces the single NR-30, the engine is much more powerful, it has access to a decent number of chaff/flare countermeasures, and the missile armament has been greatly improved with the addition of the radar-guided R-3R and the highly agile IR-guided R-60. Other than that, the classic MiG-21 handling characteristics of high speed, good short-term turning, high maneuvering energy loss, and poor low-speed handling still apply. The MiG-21SMT can also pull double duty in the ground attack role for mixed battles, because four S-24 heavy rockets and a ballistic computer is enough to dispatch several ground targets.
+The MiG-21SMT is a third-generation model of the famous "Fishbed" family. The external appearance differs from the [[MiG-21F-13]] with a larger nose housing a search radar and a bulging fuselage spine holding more fuel. Under the hood, it is a significantly modified and improved aircraft: a dual-barrel 23 mm GSh-23 cannon replaces the single NR-30, the engine is much more powerful, it has access to a decent number of chaff/flare countermeasures, and the missile armament has been greatly improved with the addition of the radar-guided R-3R and the highly agile IR-guided R-60. Other than that, the classic MiG-21 handling characteristics of high speed, good short-term turning, high manoeuvring energy loss, and poor low-speed handling still apply. The MiG-21SMT can also pull double duty in the ground attack role for mixed battles, because four S-24 heavy rockets and a ballistic computer is enough to dispatch several ground targets.
-Fishbed enthusiasts can look forward to the foldered [[MiG-21bis]], the ultimate Soviet MiG-21 model, or move on to the [[MiG-23M]] Flogger, a radically different design.
+Fishbed enthusiasts can look forward to the [[MiG-21bis]], the ultimate Soviet MiG-21 model, or move on to the [[MiG-23M]] Flogger, a radically different design.
 == General info ==

MiG-21SMT - Revision history

U12017485: /* Pros and cons */ Simplified, clarified

U38088265: /* Armaments */

U38088265: /* Description */

U81436767: /* Description */ New Description Project

U44629479: Edits

U138796218: /* Pros and cons */ /*Usage in battle*/

U17577377: /* Description */

U44629479: Edits

U44629479: Edits

U79942984: Wrote intro.

U138796218: /* Pros and cons / /Usage in battle*/