Strana 41
MiG-21F-13, c/n 269903, Air Force Training Center, Milovice-Mladá AB, Czechoslovakia, 1962-1966
MiG-21FR, c/n 061002, 3 Flight, 5 Fighter Air Regiment, Plzeň-Líně AB, Czechoslovakia, 1972-1987
MiG-21F-13, c/n 660416, 1 Fighter Air Regiment, České Budějovice AB, Czechoslovakia, 1968-1970
Four MiG-21Fs arrived at the Vodochody factory
in a so-called “scattered” state, i.e., in various
stages of completion, for the purpose of
mastering production at Czech manufacturing
plant. This series differed from later production
aircraft in the canopy part behind the cockpit.
After the start of serial production, this aircraft,
together with others from the “scattered” series,
was handed over to the Air Force Training Center
at Milovice-Mladá Airport. Later, it served with
the 9 Air Force Regiment in Bechyně. It ended its
service in Czechoslovak air force on October 13,
1973, when it was donated to Syria. The atypical
rounded font of the fuselage numbers is only
documented on aircraft with fuselage numbers
up to 0109. This font was probably created
during repairs at the Air Repair Workshop Kbely.
The aircraft which underwent later repairs
featured square divided numbers with rounded
corners.
The 5. Air Force Unit emblem consisted of four
colored fields inspired by the emblem of the
city of Pilsen with a dog’s head in the center.
The whole emblem was complemented by a red
star. In this form, it survived the “normalization”
tightening of conditions, and therefore this
emblem was also drawn on the newly introduced
MiG-21F. The same emblem was later applied to
the new MiG-21MFs and is also documented on
the MiG-21F 0711 after a major overhaul in 1974.
The aircraft with the fuselage number 1002 was
one of two that Major Jaroslav Krýda managed
to land despite malfunctioning engine. The red-
painted tip of vertical stabilizer and red elevator
tips reveal its affiliation with the 3 Squadron
of the 5 Air Regiment. The aircraft’s service in
the Czechoslovak Air Force ended on November
25, 1987, with 1,205 hours and five minutes of
flight time. Throughout its service life, 1002 was
operated in Líně by the 5 Air Regiment.
Czechoslovak political changes in the spring
of 1968 were also reflected in the coloring of
some of MiG-21Fs. Members of the 1 Air Force
Regiment in České Budějovice took the initiative
to design their own squadron insignia. While the
insignia for the MiG-21PF and PFM all-weather
and night interception squadrons featured
nocturnal creatures, specifically a bat and an
owl, the symbol chosen for the first training
squadron was a devil with a pitchfork against
a clear blue sky. The author of the design was
Miloslav Martenek, later known for his cartoons
and illustrations. The inspiration for the drawing
was the strict squadron commander, Major Jan
Jansa. It was said that serving under him was
hell. His red nose was also an inspiration for the
devil drawing. All designs were approved on May
17, 1968, and subsequently spray-painted onto
the aircraft. The same symbol also appeared in
a smaller form as a decal on the pilots’ helmets.
The devil drawing was used until August 20, 1970,
when an order was issued to remove all such
symbols. The aircraft served until 1983 with the
1. Air Regiment in České Budějovice, then
between 1983 and 1991 with the 5 Air Regiment
in Plzeň-Líně, and in 1991 it ended its service
with the 1 Air Training Regiment in Přerov.
KITS 10/2025
INFO Eduard
41
October 2025