The MiG-21MF export fighter aircraft types at the Soviet Air Forces




	The MiG-21M/MF/MF-75 ‘Fishbed-J’ export fighter aircraft types at the Soviet Air Forces DRAFT

	The MiG-21M/MF ‘Fishbed-J’ fighters were the Soviet MiG-21S/SM's export versions, which applied new aircraft fuselage, and four hardpoints under the wings. These models could carry the GSh-23L gun in an under-fuselage. But the MiG-21M/MF used the older RP-21 radar instead of newer RP-22 radar, and older R-3R and RS-2US missile. According to Soviet leadership, these versions satisfied the needs of various export customers.




		Soviet MiG-21M ‘Fishbed-J’ trainer of 797th regiment at the Kushchevskaya airport in the middle of the seventies. Photo: Nagy István




		The Soviet 234th Guard Fighter Air Regiment’s MiG-21MF ‘Fishbed-J’ (S/n: 964411 Factory date: July 1971), is seen in the natural metal finish at Reims air base France in September 1971. Known B/n: blue 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. Photographer: Unknown

The MiG-21M and MiG-21MF versions built primarily for the export but the Soviet Air Force received small numbered. The Soviet air schools used these versions for the foreign pilots training.

The 234th Guard Fighter Air Regiment used the MiG-21MF type during for a short time as an exhibition fighter. In September 1971, six factories fresh MiG-21MF ‘Fishbed-J’ export fighter aircraft traveled to France.

The 234th Guard regiment used only short period this fighter. In 1972 the MiG-21MF of the 234th Guard Fighter Air Regiment was replaced with MiG-21MT Fishbed-K export fighter aircraft.


	The French connection in 1971

* Usually only one squadron in each one regiment
** The exact sub-variants (MiG-21M or MF) used aren't known




		Soviet MiG-21MF ‘Fishbed-J’ foreign pilots training aircraft at Krasnodar airport in 1979. Known B/n: red 04, 08, 10, 12, 16 in late eighties at Krasnodar airport. The originally natural metal colored fighters, at the end of the seventies, got new sand and green camouflage. Photo: Nagy István




		Soviet 802nd Training Air Regiment's MiG-21MF 'Fishbed-J' at Krasnodar airport in 1980. In the background the regiment's Su-22M/UM 'Fitter-J' fighter bombers. Photo: Andrási Sándor

Two Soviet foreign pilots training school used these versions at four training regiment in the seventies and eighties years. In 1969 the Soviet-Union started the foreign pilots training on the new MiG-21M Fishbed-J type and in 1971 on the improved MiG-21MF.

The experienced pilots of friendly Third World countries were trained at the 715th Training Air Regiment of the 5th Training Center at the Lugovaya in the Central Asia. The pilots of allied Warsaw Pact countries were trained at the North Caucasus Krasnodar school's 797th Training Air Regiment.

From the second half of the seventies, the two training school used the MiG-21M/MF for younger pilots training to end of the eighties.




		Former Soviet 322nd Training Air Regiment's MiG-21MFs 'Fishbed-J' at Kant airport after 2000. Kyrgyzstan inherited these trainer aircraft after 1991 but never used these. Photographer: Unknown




		The 116th Center of PVO scrapped their MiG-21MF-75 fighters in the early nineties, then send to 4884th aircraft storage at Bobrovka. Later the 'blue 71' MiG-21MF-75 (S/n: 96011804) has been moved to the Aviation University of Samara. Known B/n: blue 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76 at Astrakhan. Photo: Christian Waser


	Finally, the 116th Air Defence Training Center received one squadron MiG-21MF-75 version in the middle of the seventies. The Warsaw Pact's Air Defence pilots used these export fighter during the complex air defence exercise at Astrakhan airport. The foreign pilots intercepted and shot the air targets with these MiG-21MF fighters over the Kazakh desert.

Hungarian 'STRELBA-85' air defence exercise in August 1985