MiG-21F-13: The Silver Swallow
In War Thunder, the MiG-21F-13 will be the new top jet fighter awaiting seasoned pilots at rank VI of the Soviet aviation tree. The MiG-21F-13 is the first standard production version of the MiG-21 to be produced in significant numbers and brought with it, among other minor improvements, the ability to mount K-13 air-to-air missiles - a familiar weapon system to War Thunder pilots.
The MiG-21F-13 is powered with a single R-11F-300 turbojet engine, thanks to this, the MiG-21F-13 is able to accelerate up to a maximum speed of 1300 km/h (Mach 1.06) near the ground and up to 2200 km/h (Mach 2.1) at an altitude of 13 kilometers. In addition, the MiG-21F-13 has a good climb rate - 120 m/sec which is one of the best climb rates in the game.
ТHowever, while the MiG-21F-13 can certainly go very fast in a straight line and also climb to altitude very quickly, its performance does come with a substantial caveat. Namely, being an aircraft with a delta wing design does give the MiG-21F-13 stability during supersonic flight, but it also negatively impacts the aircraft’s maneuvering capabilities and is responsible for massive speed losses during sharp, high-speed maneuvers. As a result, the MiG-21F-13 is best off utilized in boom-and-zoom style attacks, while any sort of extensive maneuvering engagements are best to be kept well clear off.
Compared to earlier variants, the MiG-21F-13 weapon loadout was changed but not at the cost of lethality. As such, the MiG-21F-13 features only a single 30mm cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, pilots may choose to outfit their MiG-21F-13 with a pair of K-13 air-to-air missiles, thus greatly bolstering their effectiveness against aerial targets.
Complementing the primary offensive armament is also a host of secondary ordnance options which may be used to engage enemy ground units. To do so, pilots will have access to 57mm rocket pods, containing 16 projectiles each, as well as conventional unguided bombs of 250kg and 500kg, or two unguided air-to-ground S-24 rockets.
It is also the first aircraft in the game which is able to break the Mach 2 speed limit.
The MiG-21F-13 is powered with a single R-11F-300 turbojet engine, thanks to this, the MiG-21F-13 is able to accelerate up to a maximum speed of 1300 km/h (Mach 1.06) near the ground and up to 2200 km/h (Mach 2.1) at an altitude of 13 kilometers. In addition, the MiG-21F-13 has a good climb rate - 120 m/sec which is one of the best climb rates in the game.
ТHowever, while the MiG-21F-13 can certainly go very fast in a straight line and also climb to altitude very quickly, its performance does come with a substantial caveat. Namely, being an aircraft with a delta wing design does give the MiG-21F-13 stability during supersonic flight, but it also negatively impacts the aircraft’s maneuvering capabilities and is responsible for massive speed losses during sharp, high-speed maneuvers. As a result, the MiG-21F-13 is best off utilized in boom-and-zoom style attacks, while any sort of extensive maneuvering engagements are best to be kept well clear off.
Compared to earlier variants, the MiG-21F-13 weapon loadout was changed but not at the cost of lethality. As such, the MiG-21F-13 features only a single 30mm cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, pilots may choose to outfit their MiG-21F-13 with a pair of K-13 air-to-air missiles, thus greatly bolstering their effectiveness against aerial targets.
Complementing the primary offensive armament is also a host of secondary ordnance options which may be used to engage enemy ground units. To do so, pilots will have access to 57mm rocket pods, containing 16 projectiles each, as well as conventional unguided bombs of 250kg and 500kg, or two unguided air-to-ground S-24 rockets.
Check out the full Dev Blog article on the official War Thunder website!