OVERVIEW: The MiG-21PF aka "Fishbed D" aka "Izdeliye 76A"   is a single seat, single engine, short-range, daytime/all-weather, Mach 2.0, 2nd generation point defense interceptor, particularly against fast, high-altitude targets.  It also had a secondary ground attack capability. 

DETAILS:   The MiG-21PF "Fishbed D" is a delta wing design, with a circular air intake and an automatically adjusted moveable intake cone in the nose.  

These design characteristics limited the MiG-21 as a dogfighter, as any turning combat led to a rapid loss of speed. Additionally, the small space available for radar limited its ability as a fighter for anything beyond close-range combat.  It was further hampered as a fighter by its short range. The pilot also had a poor visibility forward and rearward, further limiting its use in ACM.   

Although the Fishbed bled energy in a turn, it also had a smaller turn radius than most contemporaneous U.S. fighters.  It was also sturdy, reliable, and easy to maintain, and its unsophisticated design increased its combat survivability.

The MiG-21PF was the first all-weather derivative of the MiG-21.  It introduced a longer nose and air intake and nose cone to house the RP-21 antenna. The cannon was removed to compensate for the RP-21's weight.  The MiG-21PF also added a fuel tanks in each wing and behind the cockpit, increasing its fuel capacity by 300 liters. It also had provisions for using the AA-1 Alkali AAM.

The Fishbed D had significant maneuvering limitations.  It could maneuver at 8.5 Gs when clean or carrying only two R-3S missiles and travelling below 0.8 Mach and with less than 1600 liters of fuel.  However, with more fuel, it was limited to only 7 Gs.  Above 0.8 Mach and with more than 1600 liters, or carrying either bombs or a gun pod, the aircraft was limited to only 6 G, and while carrying the centerline fuel tank, the MiG-21PF was limited to 5 or 4 Gs, depending on the tank capacity.

These limits were mitigated by the Soviet reliance on GCI, which vectored the aircraft to approximately a 20-degree angle from the rear of the target, and making a single high-speed pass before disengaging, thereby minimizing these maneuvering issues.  

The aircraft was powered by a Tumansky R11F2-300 turbojet engine, producing 13464 lb. of thrust (afterburner) or 8708 lbs. at military power. The design cruising speed is 478 knots. 

NOTES: IOC: 1961. Version for export to Warsaw Pact countries; only difference from domestic version was the IFF equipment.



SOURCE: Mladenov, Alexander. Soviet Cold War Fighters. Fonthill Media, 2017, (Kindel ed., locations 1492, 1613, 1933; Mladenov, Alexander. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Air Vanguard)(Kindle ed., locations 1492)"[1.0] MiG-21 Single-Seat Variants." AirVectors. Accessed January 7, 2022. https://www.airvectors.net/avmig21_1.html#m2. ; "The MiG-21 Page - Performance Data." Imprimante Si Copiatoare, Produse IT: Xerox, Brother, Cisco, Microsoft - Top Edge Engineering. Accessed January 7, 2022. https://www.topedge.com/panels/aircraft/sites/kraft/data.htm. ;  DIA, HAVE DOUGHNUT(U)-TACTICAL, FTD-CR-20-13-69 Vol. II (1 August 1969), pgs 1-6 to 1-7. https://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/havedoughnut.pdf; 