Markings for MiG-21F-13 1/48

COL A

s/n 741204, HävLLv 31, Kuopio-Rissala AB, Finnish AF, Finland, August 1985

Finland replaced its de Havilland Vampire and Folland Gnat aircraft with MiG-21s in the early 1960s, becoming the first non-communist European country to use this type. The first ten MiG-21F-13s were delivered to Suomen Iimavoi-mat (the Finnish Air Force) in April 1963, with another 11 following in November of the same year. Between 1971 and 1973, nine MiG-21F-13s were converted into reconnaissance versions. HavLLv 31 in Kuopio-Rissala began gradually replacing its F-13s with new MiG-21bis at the end of 1978. The last flight of the Finnish F-13 version took place in January 1986. The aircraft with the fuselage number MG-77 was delivered in November 1963. It made its last flight on August 16, 1985. After being decommissioned, it served as a dummy with the number MG-127 in Pirkkala and was later transferred to the Aviation Museum in Vantaa.

COL B

s/n 74211503, Nguyen Nhat Chieu, 921st FR, Sao Do, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, October 1967

The Vietnamese People’s Liberation Army Air Force acquired its first MiG-21F-13s in 1966. The first dogfight in which North Vietnamese MiG-21s clashed with American aircraft took place in February 1966. In March of the same year, two American Ryan Firebee unmanned aircraft were destroyed, but the first aerial victory for Vietnamese pilots was not achieved until June 9, 1966, when two F-4 Phantoms II were shot down by several MiG-21s. On October 29, 1967, pilot Nguyen Nhat Chieu used a green-camouflaged MiG-21F-13 with tactical number 4426 in a dogfight in which he shot down an American F-4 Phantom II over the Nam Dinh–Ninh Binh area. It was Chieu’s sixth aerial victory, although according to USAF records, no Phantoms II were lost on that day. During the Vietnam War, 67 American fighter aircraft were shot down by MiG-21s, while the US Air Force shot down 86 MiG-21s. Thirteen MiG-21 pilots achieved fighter ace status between 1967 and 1972.

COL C

s/n 660416, 1. slp, České Budějovice AB, Czechoslovakia, 1968-1970

The easing of the political atmosphere in the spring of 1968 was also reflected in the coloring of some Czechoslovak MiG-21Fs. Members of the 1 Fighter Wing in České Budějovice were the first to design their own insignias. While the insignias for the MiG-21PF and PFM fighter squadrons for operations in difficult weather conditions and at night featured typical nocturnal animals like a bat and an owl, the first training squadron chose the symbol of 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 the designs were approved on May 17, 1968, and then 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.

COL D

Cairo-West AB, United Arab Republic, 1967

The MiG-21F-13 with fuselage number 5341 came from one of the first series of MiG-21F-13s delivered to Egypt before the Six-Day War and was one of 22 aircraft of this type that survived the Arab-Israeli War in June 1967. After the war, it was camouflaged using automotive paint. This was applied around the black identification stripes located on the rear of the fuselage and at the wing tips. The auxiliary fuel tank was usually left unpainted but bore the aircraft’s black serial number (5341) on its side.

COL E

s/n 22504, 204. LAP, Batajnica AB, Yugoslav Air Force, Yugoslavia, 1962

The MiG-21F-13 JRViPVO (Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo i Protivvazdušna Odbrana) aircraft bore registration numbers 22501 to 22541. The first five of them were delivered in September 1962. By the end of 1964, the rearmament of the 204 Fighter Regiment, consisting of three fighter squadrons, each with 12 aircraft, was completed. In August 1968, the Yugoslav Air Force had 38 MiG-21F-13 aircraft at its disposal. The last flights were made in March 1980. The aircraft were subsequently maintained until May 11, 1981, when it was decided to decommission them. During their service, the MiG-21F-13 aircraft flew 23,559 hours and 15 minutes. A total of 17 were destroyed, with 11 pilots losing their lives in various circumstances.

COL F

s/n 741924, AFS-31, East Germany Air Force, Preschen AB, German Democratic Republic, 1978-1980

The MiG-21F-13 entered service with the East Germany Air Force on May 4, 1962, when the first one landed at Neuhardenberg Air Base. A total of 76 aircraft of this type were delivered. The MiG-21F-13 stayed in active service with the NVA only until 1974, when it began to be replaced by the more modern MiG-21PFM and MiG-21SPS. The aircraft with the red fuselage number 645 was part of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) and later JG 15. When it ended its service with JG 15 in 1978, it served with AFS-31 and TAFS-47 as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft. The newly restored red 645 is currently on display at the Luftwaffenmuseum at Berlin-Gatow Airport.