The Soviet-designed MiG-21-NATO code name Fishbed-is the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history and the first Soviet aircraft to successfully combine fighter and interceptor traits. Created by Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the 1950s, it is best known as an effective and tenacious foe of the F-4 Phantom during the Vietnam War. It probably has flown in more wars than any other fighter. From the outset, the MiG-21 has been a small, fast, and agile lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 with a low-power turbojet engine. Its delta wing has a 57-degree sweep angle on the leading edge. The early MiG-21 was hampered by a short range, but later variants acquired more fuel capacity, along with heavier armament and better avionics. They have also been fitted with a more powerful engine. Simple, inexpensive to buy and maintain, and easy to fly, the MiG-21 was widely exported and continues to be upgraded and used in several countries. The effectiveness of the speedy MiG-21, in the hands of skilled North Vietnamese pilots, came as a shock to US F-4 pilots in the skies over Southeast Asia. It would attack in swarms, coming at the F-4s from different directions, then abruptly break off to escape. The little fighter's success was eventually overcome, late in the Vietnam War, by greatly improved US pilot training and better rules of engagement.
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