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Little quiz: Iraqi MiG-21


  

15 members have voted

  1. 1. Which version is it ?

    • Late MiG-21PF
      1
    • Mid MiG-21PFS delivered urgently by USSR after the Six Days War
      4
    • MiG-21FL
      10


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I've found a nice attachment in a topic of the Airforce.ru forum: http://radikal.ru/F/s009.radikal.ru/i307/1...57ae94.jpg.html

Which version is this and why ? The answer is in Airforce.ru topic but you can try to find the answer by yourself.

Ps: forget the anachronic R-60 missile

Edited by Laurent
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longer/deeper tail - same as afghan ones :wasntme:

Nope. The Iraqi MiG could be said to be a mid-life PFS urgently delivered from a Soviet unit...

mig01310.jpg

... but there a little something that shows it isn't the case...

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I think that this is mig-21FL. Difference between FL and PF is tail.

This is MiG-21Fl

1219884M.jpg

And this is PF

062_3096ww5.jpg

PF have tail like earlier versions of the mig-21, and FL have tail like newer versions

Ok but why is it not a PFS ?

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They are same visually, but FL was export variant of PF for that countries like Iraq and other third world countries , of course downgraded, so i go with way of logic that this is FL. I don't know which versions did Iraq AF had (except those SMT that are in Serbia :woot.gif: )

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we know ur just itching to tell us, enlighten the masses! :whistle:

Put on your sunglasses then... tada !!!

iraqiMig.jpg

... er yeah so what ? so the flap actuator coaming is visible below the wing because the aileron is down. In Fowler flapped MiG-21s (F-13, PF, FL, U), the actuator coaming is between the aileron and the flap. It isn't the case in the SPS flapped MiG-21s. So it isn't a MiG-21PFS, it isn't a PF because of the broad chord fin, so it's an FL. Enthralling aircraft identification experience hey ? Whatdayamean no ?!? :rolleyes:

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The Iraqi ones in Batajnica are bis models.

I found a link somewhere but I forgot to bookmark it. Bis spine and "narrow intake lip" so it's either a bis (very likely) or an SMT izd. 50bis (unlikely)

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I found a link somewhere but I forgot to bookmark it. Bis spine and "narrow intake lip" so it's either a bis (very likely) or an SMT izd. 50bis (unlikely)

Found some photographs (but perhaps Nemsy 29 wasn't talking about these planes ?). Definitely "bis-SAU" because there are RSBN antennas visible.

uo5k1akgoktm_57a0075.jpg

uo5k1akgoktm_3132a77.jpg

uo5k1akgoktm_c5f8811.jpg

Source: http://forums.airforce.ru/showpost.php?p=7...p;postcount=163

Edited by Laurent
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Laurent, if speaking accurately, it's PFM / PFS with PF canopy. With early seat KK-1. FL- export modification PF/PFS/PFM.

Hello Sergei.

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean.

KK-1 seat in a MiG-21 ?!?

Here's what I understand on 2nd gen MiGs:

PF: small chord fin, brake chute below fuselage, Fowler flaps

FL: wide chord fin, brake chute at fin base, Fowler flaps

PFS: SPS flaps

- early: single piece canopy, small chord fin, brake chute at fin base

- mid: starting from aircraft 941001, single piece canopy, wide chord fin, brake chute at fin base

- late: starting from aircraft 941221, two pieces canopy and KM-1 seat, wide chord fin, brake chute at fin base

PFM: late PFS with improved avionics (IR tracker, weapon system coupling with radar). No external difference.

Do you agree or not ?

Laurent

Edited by Laurent
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Here is one disputable text that bring confusion, yes those are that ex Iraq MiG-21 (there was several MiG-23 ML)

AFMMiG21-1.jpg

And here is text from Lift Here decals manual book

"When the Gulf war broke up in 1990, some MiG-21SMT and MiG-23ML combat planes were in process of overhauling in Yugoslav facilities... The MiG-21s from Iraq of are the SMT sub-type. They had wester orgin desert air-conditioning device installed. those a/c were used operationally in the Yugoslav AF units for some time with the desert camouflage, before their withdrawal from service."

If they are wrong then i'm wrong too

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If they are wrong then i'm wrong too

It's difficult to understand what has been done reading the AFM (?) article. Since all the Iraqi planes photographs have "narrow intake lip" and RSBN antennas, they really have bis characteristics. Perhaps these aircrafts where SMT 50bis aircrafts but the only way to know would have been to check the serial numbers on the planes. I doubt that any MiG-21 has been ever "respinned" (changing the early SMT spine to the mid SMT spine; for all I know it was done during production starting on aircraft 50MM07) but I don't have documentation to argument this.

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