60th Anniversary of the MiG-21 in the Romanian Air Force

In memoriam Laurenţiu KIRU Chiriţă * 1970 † 2010

As the first MiG-21 operator worldwide, Romania can look back on 60 years of MiG-21 service these days. Unfortunately, this event has so far (as of October 22, 2022) not been officially honoured. There are still a few days to change that, as the exact date of introduction is somewhat obscure. The first twelve Gorky-built MiG-21F-13s were delivered in October 1962 by Soviet pilots to Regimentul 93 Aviație Vânătoare from Timişoara-Giarmata, which was based at Caracal-Deveselu at the time. In November, Romanian pilots then took off on the first flights in the new type.

For 25 years the author has had the opportunity to follow the path of the Romanian MiG-21s. The first encounter took place at the Paris Air Show Le Bourget 1997, where the upgraded MiG-21 LanceR was presented. As the only country in Europe, Romania opted for a comprehensive upgrade of its MiG-21s and did well with it – after all, its air force thus received a NATO-compatible aircraft in significant numbers with modern avionics and armament and low operating costs.

On its 60th service anniversary, the MiG-21 is only tolerated in the inventory of the Forţele Aeriene Române for political reasons, and with May 15, 2023 a retirement date has already been set. Pilots and technicians are still enthusiastic about "their" aircraft, which – if desired – could fly for another ten years. The resources for this are available ...