Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 operators

This article lists current and former operators of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21.

Croatian Air Force (HRZ). Three MiG-21bis were taken up following defections of Croatian pilots from the Yugoslav Air Force; two of these were lost in combat. Forty MiG-21bis and MiG-21UM were bought from Ukraine in 1995, of which 16 and 4, respectively, were put into service, the rest used for parts. Eight MiG-21bis were upgraded to MiG-21bis-D standard and four MiG-21UM to MiG-21UMD standard in 2003 in Romania; these are currently in service.

In 2003, MiG-21s were found with the following units (ZB = Zrakoplovna Baza - Air Base; ELZ - Eskadrila Lovačkih Zrakoplova - Fighter Squadron):

Cuban Air Force. 40 MiG-21F-13 and two MiG-21U were transferred to the Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria (DAAFAR) in 1962. At least one squadron of MiG-21PF was delivered in 1964, and either 24 or 36 MiG-21PFM were received in 1966–1967. Twelve MiG-21R were delivered in 1968. Sixty MiG-21MF were delivered between 1972 and 1974; some of these were sent to Angola. Eighty MiG-21bis (izd. 75A) were received from 1981. Five MiG-21U (izd. 66-600) were delivered in 1966, and 20 MiG-21UM were delivered starting in 1968. According to Cuban sources, a total of 270 MiG-21s of all variants were received by DAAFAR. 12 MiG-21bis and six MiG-21UM are still operational.

In 1990, MiG-21s were known to be assigned to the following units:

Egyptian Air Force: By 1967, Egypt had received 235 MiG-21 fighters (MiG-21F-13, MiG-21PF, MiG-21PFM) and 40 MiG-21U trainers. Almost all were destroyed in the Six Day War - no more than 10 of the 235 survived that war. 75 MiG-21PFS were supplied in 1970, followed by 12 MiG-21M, 110 MiG-21MF, 24 MiG-21US, and some MiG-21UM.; eighty Chinese J-7 were also received.

Indian Air Force. India received its first MiG-21s in 1963, numbering 8 MiG-21F-13s. Two more F-13s and two MiG-21PF were received in 1964. The MiG-21FL was designed by Mikoyan to fulfill an Indian requirement, and this was the first version to be licence-built in India by HAL. The first 54 of these were built and test-flown in the USSR, then dismantled and shipped to India for reassembly; the first one built completely from scratch in India was handed over to the IAF in October 1970. All told, 205 MiG-21FL were built in India, of which 196 were built entirely in India; the last MiG-21FLs were retired in 2005. In 1971, 65 MiG-21M were delivered to India; licence production of an improved variant unique to India, designated MiG-21MF (Type 88), began in 1973 and lasted until 1981 - a total of 158 were built. It is important to keep in mind that the HAL MiG-21MF (Type 88) is not the same as the MiG-21MF (Izdeliye 96) that was made in the USSR for export to other countries.

...
Wikipedia