Markings for MiG-21PFM 1/48

921 Fighter Regiment, Vietnamese People’s Army Air Force, Noi Bai airfield, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1968

This aircraft was flown by 921 Fighter Regiment “Sao Do” (Red Star) in 1968. The first examples of MiG-21PFM were delivered to this unit during that year. Some sources say that this particular aircraft was flown by Nguyen Van Coc, a fighter ace credited with nine kills. The B&W photos of this aircraft can be interpreted in several ways. One of the theories says that green splotches were sprayed on the upper sides. The splotches were not sharp-edged, and the surrounding area was also covered by the thin layer of the green color. This gave this area light-green appearance. The canopy frame and the antenna were left in natural metal finish.

No. 7909, 11 Fighter Air Regiment, Czechoslovak Air Force, Žatec airfield, Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, March 1991

The No. 7909 MiG-21PFM was delivered to Czechoslovakia on January 29, 1969. At the beginning it was assigned to 9 slp (9th Fighter Air Regiment); from April 1973 served with 1 slp. From December 1982 onwards this aircraft was flown by 11 slp. It was put out of operation in March 1991 and consequently flown to the disposal site at the Vodochody airfield on March 20, 1991. The coat of arms of Žatec town was painted on the nose, the yellow band on the tail identified the aircraft which was to be put out of operation. The rest of the aircraft remained in natural metal finish, which was a common practice regarding this type.

Baurnal Higher Air Force School, Kamen na Obi/Slavgorod airbases, the Soviet Union, ca 1988

Three-digit numbers were used for aircraft flown by Air Force schools in Soviet Union. The White 105 served with Barnaul Highter Air Force School in late 80ties. The exact Regiment that flew this MiG is not known. It belonged either to 59 UAP (59th Training Air Regiment) based in Kamen na Obi AFB or to 96 UAP that used Slavgorod AFB as its home. The colorful camouflage was applied during the service in the school. Note the large area of the brown camouflage color under the white fuselage number, where the former two-digit number used by the frontline unit, the previous operator, was overpainted.

Egyptian Air Force, Inshas air base, Arab Republic of Egypt, early 80´s

This aircraft is one of the few MiG-21PFMs flown by Egyptian Air Force following the Six-Day War. Prior to this Arab–Israeli conflict, total of 235 various MiG-21s were delivered to Egypt but only about ten of them survived the war. The first and surprising Israeli aerial attack on Egyptian airbases on June 5, 1967, known as the Operation Moked, cost Egyptians about 90 of their MiG-21s itself. This aircraft was delivered to Egypt around 1970 and took part in the US–Egyptian military exercise Bright Star in 1982.

1 Eskadra of the 62 Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego, Polish Air Force, Poznan – Krzesiny AB, Poland, 1994

This aircraft had been delivered to Poland on April 5, 1968 and served with 34. Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego (34th Fighter Air Regiment). This profile depicts the 6910 how it looked during the service with 62. PLM. The tail marking was applied in connection with 40th anniversary of the unit establishment (1954 – 1994). In 1995 the unit designation was changed to 3. PLM and according to this the number 62 in the unit badge on the A/C nose was replaced with the new one. This PFM was armed with GP-9 gun pod and Monsun rack for two R-3S missiles. The aircraft was oversprayed with thin layer of aluminium coat.