The MiG-21 was a Nightmare for U.S. Pilots Over Vietnam
To compensate for the considerable advantages the F-4 Phantoms had over MiG-21s, the North Vietnamese developed innovative hit-and-run tactics.
The Cold War was one of the most interesting times for the development of innovative aircraft. Systems, like the F-86 Sabre or the F-4 Phantom II became synonymous with sophistication and high-tech air superiority throughout the war.
But it was not only the Americans and their allies who were producing next-generation technologies at a breakneck clip. Their rivals in the Soviet Union were making some extraordinary weapons systems as well. One of the USSR’s most iconic design bureaus, Mikoyan-Gurevich, created a series of warplanes that, in some cases, are still flying the unfriendly skies today.
The MiG-21 fighter (NATO designation “Fishbed”) is a particularly interesting bird. It’s considered one of the most produced jet aircraft in aviation history, with over 11,000 units built. MiG-21 came to life because the Soviet Union needed a lightweight, fast, and highly maneuverable fighter jet beginning in the late 1950s.
NATO was on a jet fighter-building spree and Moscow was desperate to keep up. Already, the Soviet Air Force had experienced the pain of facing off against a superior jet warplane, like the F-86 Sabre, in the infamous “MiG Alley” dogfighting corridor during the Korean War.
Keep It Simple: the MiG-21 Design
The key for the engineers at the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau was to keep the MiG-21 simple and efficient. Indeed, this tended to be a hallmark of the best Soviet-era weapons platforms. Because Mikoyan-Gurevich kept things simple and efficient, they created a warplane that was very much ahead of its time.
The MiG-21 was one of the first Soviet fighters to incorporate a delta-wing configuration, which ultimately provided the high-speed performance that made the MiG-21 such a vital interceptor craft.
This feature, by the way, would ensure that the MiG-21s were the bane of most U.S. warplane pilots’ existence throughout the Vietnam War (U.S. warplanes routinely fought the Soviet-provided MiG-21s of North Vietnam’s air force).
Having first flown in 1956, the MiG-21 entered service with the Soviet Air Defense Forces in 1959. Thanks to its aforementioned simplicity in design, the Soviets had a remarkable export vehicle (hence, why these birds ended up in the arsenal of the North Vietnamese). So, the Soviets were able to turn a profit off their investment in the MiG-21.
Multiple militaries the world over, from Asia to Africa, Eastern Europe to Latin America, purchased these warplanes with exuberance. Their simplicity not only made them easy to mass produce, but their maintenance was manageable. So, smaller air forces with less funding could reliably maintain these vehicles over the long run.
Mikoyan-Gurevich imbued their iconic MiG-21 with an impressive top speed of around Mach 2. This is thanks to the powerful single turbojet engine that was installed. Early version of the MiG-21 had a Tumansky R-11 engine.
As for armaments, the MiG-21 was granted a 23 mm cannon along with a variety of Soviet air-to-air missiles and rockets, while the export models were designed to easily carry the weapons packages of foreign states. So, smaller nations looking to build an air force could enjoy a diversity of inputs from weapons makers and not be relegated to relying exclusively on Soviet-made systems.
The MiG-21 Goes to War in Vietnam
It was the North Vietnamese who first deployed the MiG-21 in combat in 1966. Before that, the MiG-15 and the MiG-17 had defined the North Vietnamese air defense against U.S. airpower directed against North Vietnamese targets during the war. Its primary opponent was the F-4 Phantom II, a third-generation warplane that many argue was one of the greatest warplanes in history.
The MiG-21’s speed and simplicity made it popular to use among North Vietnamese aviators. (Soviet pilots were also used, and simply sheep-dipped in North Vietnamese uniforms to mask the USSR’s direct involvement in the Vietnam War.)
Yet American pilots reported a relatively high kill ratio when faced with the MiG-21—though it must be noted that these figures are hotly debated, even decades after the Vietnam War ended. According to an assessment done in the Air & Space Forces Magazine, American pilots did consider the MiG-21 a worth adversary.
This was especially true in close-range dogfights because the MiG-21 was so maneuverable (and American F-4s were larger than the MiG-21s). One of the biggest complications for MiG-21 pilots was the fact that they possessed limited weapons and a relatively short range, so these birds were only useful for rapid, hit-and-run attacks on U.S. forces.
Official American estimates claimed that 68 MiG-21s were downed by U.S. warplanes in combat. North Vietnam, however, had more than 200 MiG-21s. In other words, North Vietnam had an attrition rate of their MiG-21 fleet at around 34 percent.
To compensate for the considerable advantages the F-4 Phantoms had over MiG-21s, the North Vietnamese developed innovative hit-and-run tactics to quickly engage U.S. warplanes, fire their weapons, and rapidly retreat before the U.S. planes could counterattack. What’s more, because the North Vietnamese were fighting over the territory, North Vietnamese pilots had the added assistance of ground radar stations to help identify and track American warplanes.
So, even in the air, the North Vietnamese had to employ the same type of guerilla tactics that their ground forces in the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were employing in the jungles below against U.S. Army and Marine units.
A Record of Success
Still, considering the significant disadvantages the North Vietnamese had against one of the two superpowers of its era, the United States, the fact that they were able to stay in an air war with the Americans is a result of the excellent MiG-21 warplanes they were gifted by their Soviet benefactors.
It might not have been comparable to the American warplanes. But they were able to ensure the North Vietnamese at least stayed in the fight against the Americans.
MiG-21s also served in the Indo-Pakistani conflicts of 1965 and 1971 with great effect. They were used in various Middle Eastern conflicts, too—notably the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. The MiG-21 is an iconic plane of the twentieth century and an example of the kind of competition the Cold War really was: a great game of technological one-upmanship combined with radically innovative tactics.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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