Geoff Thomas
After making its international debut in the Farnborough static display last September, an upgraded Mikoyan MiG-21bis Lancer 111 - the final production and most potent variant of the fighter family - is being shown at Le Bourget by Aerostar of Romania.
The aircraft is demonstrated by test pilot Yehuda Shafir who works for Israeli company Elbit Systems, Aerostar's partner in the current upgrading programme for the Romanian air force.
With nearly three-quarters of the 110-aircraft Romanian MiG-21 Lancer upgrade programme completed, the Aerostar/Elbit partnership is well established.
The re-worked MiG-21bis made its first official flight in October last year, also in the capable hands of Yehuda Shafir.
Since then, it has made more than 16 flights and racked up 13h towards the planned 40h test flight programme. The partnership has high hopes of gaining more upgrading business for the MiG-21.
Out of a total production of some 12,000 aircraft, around 2,200 were the bis variant and these comprise most of the airframes still flying in service around the world, including with the German Luftwaffe which inherited them from the East German air force.
Equipped
The upgraded MiG-21 Lancer family is equipped with multi-mode radar and advanced avionics.
Together these result in dramatically improved operational performance in air-to-air, air-to-surface and air-to-sea missions.
The Romanian Lancers have an all-weather capability and can carry both Eastern and Western weaponry on new pylons, as well as advanced ECM, laser designator and reconnaissance pods.
Source: Flight Daily News