A very interesting, legendary, high-spirited aircraft with very high controllability, especially in the transverse channel. For example, he turns "barrels" per second at a speed of 700-800 km / h.
- deputy. chief of the flight service of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, Reserve Colonel Sergei Bogdan.
The pilots of the 4477 squadron demonstrated how quickly the MiG-17 can lift its nose to fire a burst of cannons, how high the angular roll rate of the MiG-21 and how easily the MiG-23 picks up speed.
- from the history of "Red Eagles", tests of MIGs in the USA
The rate of roll is not casual. The most important parameter, on which the speed of execution of the "barrel" depends, i.e. the ability to escape from attack. Wild superiority in aerial combat! However, first things first.
For the first time I met a respected person in Samara. On that day, I managed not only to stand by my side, but even to sit in his small cockpit … So, here is the aircraft control knob (RUS), comfortable, made of ribbed plastic. It has built-in weapon control buttons. The left palm grips the throttle control, the flap control is directly below it. The look is looking for five main flight instruments: artificial horizon, compass, speedometer, variometer, altimeter … Found it!
The Saphir's round porthole darkens directly ahead. Maybe here, on the dim glass, the marks from the Mirages and Phantoms were once projected, but now the device is turned off. The once formidable airship now sleeps under the evening sky - the one it once had to defend. But, it's time - at the bottom of the stairs there are others who want to sit in the cockpit of a real MiG-21. I take one last look at the pretty blue cockpit and leave the pilot's seat …
And the swine and the reaper
The reason for the story about the MiG was the eternal dispute about the "universal aircraft". As usual, it all began with criticism of the legendary "Phantom", which, according to the disputants, was conceived as a perfect fighter-bomber, and the result was a bad fighter and a bad bomber. Further, there was a dispute about the combat load - how many tons of bombs and various types of payloads can be hung under the wing of a light fighter - so that it does not turn into a clumsy "iron".
Combining the two disputes, we can state one thing - the creation of a "universal aircraft" in the era of jet aircraft is not a dream, but a reality. The hurricane thrust of the jet engine allows even the lightest fighters to lift such a number of bombs into the sky that even the four-engine Flying Fortress with a wingspan of 31 meters did not lift 70 years ago. And here such injustice arises: a universal "Phantom" and an allegedly non-universal MIL. How so? After all, the brightest pages in the combat career of the MiG-21 were Vietnam, the Middle East and … Afghanistan.
On January 9, another convoy from Termez to Faizabad was covered. There was a motorized rifle regiment, with trucks and equipment, covered with "armor" from the head and tail. The column passed Talukan and headed towards Kishim. Stretching out, the column formed a gap of a kilometer, where there was no "armor" or fire weapons. The rebels struck there.
From our Chirchik regiment, the first to raise a pair of flight commander Captain Alexander Mukhin, who was in readiness number 1 at his plane. A group of management flew out after him. The excitement was great, everyone wanted to fight, to be noted in the case. Upon returning, the commanders immediately changed the plane, transferring to the prepared fighters that were waiting. The rest had to be content with sitting in the cabs in readiness, waiting in line. The pilots flew in excited, told just like in a movie about Chapaev: they fired NURS from UB-32 blocks at a crowd of cavalry and foot spooks, practically in an open area. Then they chopped up pretty well.
NURS is not everything. In addition to the functions of attack aircraft and fire support aircraft, MiGs were used as real bombers. And nothing that the "kids" didn't even have the simplest bomber sights. In the mountains, complex sighting systems lost their effectiveness, and flying skills and knowledge of the terrain came to the fore. The nature of the hostilities also contributed to indirect bombing:
It was to strike in the Parma Gorge near Bagram. The aircraft were charged with four OFAB-250-270 bombs. The attack had to be carried out according to the instructions of the aircraft controller, the target was firing points on the slopes of the mountains.
After setting the task, I asked the squadron commander: "How to drop bombs?" He explained to me that the main thing is to keep order of battle and look at him. As soon as his bombs go off, then I should also drop with a delay "and r-times …" "prospective" firing points. And a delay is needed so that the bombs will spread with dispersion: there is no point in putting all eight pieces in one place, let these two tons cover a large area, that is more reliable.
Fighters of the MiG-21PFM, MiG-21SM, MiG-21bis types formed the basis of the 40 Army's strike aviation until the summer of 1984, when they were replaced by more modern MiG-23s. But even with the advent of full-fledged fighter-bombers and attack aircraft of a special design (Su-25), they continued to be used to strike at the positions of the Mujahideen until the very end of the war. The pilots loved the "twenty-first" for their swiftness and small size - it was extremely difficult to get into the attacking MiG-21 from the DShK from the ground.
For its extraordinary "nimbleness" and maneuverability, the MiG-21 in Afghanistan received the nickname "cheerful". The command to call the fighters from the command post sounded like this in plain text: "A link of the" merry "to raise to a given area."
In the autumn and winter months of 1988-89, until mid-February, the pilots had to perform three to four flights a day. The combat charge of the MiG-21bis was two 500 kg bombs or four 250 kg bombs per aircraft. The types of ammunition were determined by the combat mission, from high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, incendiary and RBK when striking settlements and militant bases to concrete-piercing and volume-detonating bombs to destroy mountain shelters, fortifications and protected targets.
The following statistics speaks about the busy schedule of the MiG-21 combat work: during their stay in Afghanistan, the total flight time of the 927th IAP fighters amounted to 12,000 hours with about 10,000 combat missions. The average flight time on an aircraft was 400 hours, and a pilot took from 250 to 400 hours. In the course of the assault strikes, about 16,000 aerial bombs of various types of 250 and 500 kg caliber, 1,800 S-24 rockets and 250,000 cartridges for GSh-23 cannons were expended. Moreover, the 927 IAP is not the only one who flew the MiG-21. The intensity of the combat work of fighter pilots was one third higher than in fighter-bomber aviation and outstripped even attack aircraft, yielding in intensity only to helicopter crews.
Separately, it is worth noting the work of the 263rd tactical reconnaissance squadron, flying on the MiG-21R. In the first year of the war alone, aircraft of this type flew 2,700 sorties over the Afghan mountains in order to find out the results of air strikes on the positions of the Mujahideen, control the state of the roads and the tactical situation in the mountains. The scouts were equipped with overhead containers with a set of the most modern equipment at that time (aerial photography, TV cameras with a live signal broadcast to the ground command post in real time). In addition, the MiG-21R equipment included a microphone, where the pilot dictated his impressions in flight.
In addition to their direct duties, the scouts were not shy about "dirty work" - flying out on a mission, they took PTB and a couple of cluster bombs with them. Pilots of the MiG-21R were better than others oriented in the mountains, often flew for "free hunting" and, without wasting time, independently attacked the discovered caravans with weapons.
Super fighter
The massacre in the mountains of Afghanistan is only part of the combat history of the MiG-21. Behind the veil of dust and blood-red sand, an equally heroic page appears in the fate of this aircraft. Air battles!
As a rule, the most popular stories are about the participation of the MiG-21 in the Vietnam War. Hot battles with "Phantoms", "Stratofortress" and "Thunderchiefs" - alas, behind a beautiful legend hides a boring routine. The MiG-21 could not be a serious enemy of the US Air Force, due to its small number in the ranks of the DRV aviation. The main threat in the air was the Vietnamese MiG-17. And it's not a joke! The Yankees had something to fear - a small, extremely nimble airplane with powerful cannon armament posed a real threat at subsonic speeds, in close air combat. However, the main losses of American aviation were not even silver MiGs, but ordinary Kalashnikovs and rusty DShK partisans (75% of the aircraft were shot down from small arms).
MiGs fought all over the world - the Middle East, Africa, South Asia. Indian pilots on the MiG-21 famously dealt with Pakistani and Jordanian Starfighters during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The Middle East, on the contrary, did not become an arena for the triumph of the "twenty-first" - Arab and Soviet pilots (Operation Rimon-20) lost most of the battles, becoming a victim of the best preparation of the enemy. Of particular interest are the air battles of the MiG-21 with fourth generation fighters during the war in Lebanon (early 80s). Did Syrian MiG pilots have a chance against modern F-15s and F-16s?
"Red Eagles"
There is always a chance! This was convincingly proved by the pilots of the secret 4477 squadron of the US Air Force, who flew on the planes of the "probable enemy". Thanks to the loyalty of our former friends and allies, about two dozen MiG-21s of various modifications came to the States. Including four brand new Chinese J-7s (a copy of the MiG-21) directly from the manufacturer. The Yankees put all the captured aircraft "on the wing" and conducted hundreds of training air battles with all types of combat aircraft of the Air Force and the aviation of the Naval Forces. The conclusions were predictable: never engage in close air combat. Hit the MiG from afar with missiles or immediately run away.
All 4477 pilots who flew the MiG-21 noted high roll rate and excellent horizontal maneuverability, in which no fighter could compare with the MiG, until the appearance of the F-16. As for the Phantoms, the tactic turned out to be simple: transfer the MiG to climb and lay it at max. overload right bend. In a couple of seconds, the F-4 will be under fire from the MiG cannons.
MiG over the Nevada desert
But the results of the battles between the MiG-21 and the invincible Eagle looked especially surprising. Despite the colossal lag in avionics and missile weapons, the 4477 pilots often won victories over unsuspecting F-15 pilots.
"We knew the tactics of the F-15. We knew that they were capturing at a distance of 15 miles. We usually walked in a very tight order and at the moment when the F-15 had to capture the target, we abruptly performed a divergence maneuver in different directions, breaking the capture"
"I turn on the afterburner, extend the flaps and put the aircraft" on the tail. "The speed drops to 170 km / h. Then I lower my nose and go into the sun. Turn, and I go into the tail of the enemy. We told the F-15 pilots about such a maneuver on the pre-flight preparation. They never believed in the possibility of its implementation. In vain they did not believe."
- stories of veterans of the 4477th squadron about the "steam for a couple" battles with the F-15
Of course, ordinary Syrian pilots could hardly do this. In the cockpits of the MIGs, there were top-class pilots who had flown thousands of hours on Soviet and American combat aircraft. They knew all the subtleties and weaknesses of their opponents - and they hit without a miss.
As you know, the best praise is praise from your opponent:
"The MiG-21 is a super aircraft. It looks great and flies great."
- the unconditional opinion of the pilots of the 4477th squadron
The article contains quotations from V. Markovsky's book "Hot Skies of Afghanistan" and excerpts from the story about "red eagles" by M. Nikolsky
