MiG-21bis

MiG-21bis

MiG-21SMT

MiG-23M

MiG-21bis

MiG-21SMT

MiG-23M

USSR

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.0	11.0	11.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:150 000

Purchase:830 000

Description

The MiG-21bis is a rank VII Soviet jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "New Power".

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 13,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,177	2,141	16000	37.7	38.6	191.6	180.1	750
Upgraded	___	___		__._	__._	__._	__._

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1365	700	N/A	550	450	~11	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 650	< 600	< 900	N/A

Survivability and armour

• 60 mm bulletproof glass - armoured windscreen
• 10 mm steel - bulkhead behind pilot
• Engine and fuel tanks take up most of the fuselage area behind the cockpit

Armaments

Offensive armament

The MiG-21bis is armed with:

• 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (250 rpg)

Suspended armament

The MiG-21bis can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 64 x S-5K rockets
• 96 x S-5K rockets
• 4 x S-24 rockets
• 4 x R-3S missiles
• 4 x R-13M missiles
• 4 x R-3R missiles
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x R-3S missiles
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x R-13M missiles
• 4 x R-60 missiles
• 2 x R-3S missiles + 4 x R-60 missiles
• 2 x R-3S missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
• 2 x R-13M missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
• 4 x R-60 missiles + 64 x S-5K rockets
• 2 x R-3S missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
• 2 x R-13M missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
• 4 x R-60 missiles + 2 x S-24 rockets
• 2 x R-3S missiles + 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
• 2 x R-13M missiles + 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
• 2 x R-60 missiles + 4 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (400 kg total)
• 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
• 2 x 500 kg FAB-500M-54 bombs (1,000 kg total)
• 2 x R-3S missiles + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x R-13M missiles + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (500 kg total)
• 4 x R-60 missiles + 4 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (400 kg total)
• 4 x R-60 missiles + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x R-3R missiles + 4 x R-60 missiles
• 2 x R-13M missiles + 4 x R-60 missiles
• 6 x R-60 missiles

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Compressor		FAB-250	FAB-500	R-3S
II	New boosters		Airframe	Flares	UB-16	R-3R
III	Wings repair			Offensive 23 mm	UB-32	R-13M
IV	G-suit	Engine	Cover	New 23 mm cannons	C-24	R-60

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

• Climb rate 225 m/s!
• Increased flight performance compared to earlier MiG-21s
• Very capable both against aerial and ground targets
• Has access to flares that are fired downwards, which means that missiles will be decoyed easier
• Very easy stock grind
• Cheap repair costs
• Stunning acceleration
• Very good energy retention
• Can wield 6 R-60s

Cons:

- As all MiG-21s, it tends to bleed speed in turns but not as much thanks to the improved engine

- Vicious rudder lock at speeds above 700 kph, can be frustrating when trying to get guns on target

- Pretty bad low speed maneuvrability

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] MiG-21bis: Ultimate Fishbed