KITS 08/2022
C/n 96006721, No. 6721, Regimentul 71 Aviaţie Vânătoare, Câmpia Turzii Airbase, Romania, 90´
The first MiG-21s of the MF version were supplied to
then Socialistic Republic of Romania in 1972. These
aircraft first served along with the older versions of
MiG-21s and MiG-15s, which were gradually replaced
by MiG-21s. From 1975, the aircraft produced in plant
No. 21 in Gorky were supplied to Escadrila de Aviaţie
Vânătoare, which was renamed to Regimentul 71 Aviaţie Vânătoare on June 30, 1986. On June 9, 1987, this
unit was transferred from Devesel Base to Câmpia
Turzii Base from where the unit operates until today.
On November 22, 2006, Cpt. Cdr. Dan Ghica, crashed
this aircraft near the town of Beliu and died in the
crash. Like other aircraft produced in the Gorky Plant
21, this aircraft was finished on all surfaces in gray
color. The Romanian national insignia were placed
on traditional six positions on the aircraft and were
accompanied by the last four digits of the production
number painted in red on the nose of the aircraft.
C/n 96005512, No. TZ-356, Senou Airbase, the Republic of Mali, 2006
Following the elimination of the MiG-21s from the
Czech Air Force in the mid-2005, the MiG-21MFs
Nos. 5508 and 5512 were purchased by The Republic of Mali along with the MiG-21UM No. 9341. After
the transfer of the aircraft to the Senou Airbase, all
three fighter planes were assembled and readied by
54
INFO Eduard
a group of Czech technicians and two pilots. After
the check-flights were these aircraft handed over
to Malian Air Force. The final phase of the handover
mission included the fly-by of TZ-356 MiG-21MF flown
by Malian pilot above the capital city of Bamako. The
TZ-356 aircraft, as the MiG-21MF No. 5512 was remar-
ked, was painted in a camouflage consisting of two
shades of green and two shades of brown colors on
the upper surfaces and on the sides of the fuselage.
The undersides were painted blue. The Malian national insignia were painted in six positions.
August 2022