MiG-21MF - Iraq - 1980
Commentaires
ClementThat's one great looking fishbed! Your weatering is on point and if it wasn't for your disclaimer, no one would have realized that you messed up the underside twice.
One minor thing, your gun vents are the wrong way.
Also, I'm impressed that you've managed to keep the pitot on, I'd have knocked that sucker off 10 times while handling the model.
MariusThank you Clement for stopping by and having a look.
I have to admit I didn't notice back then the issue with the gun vents. Thanks for pointing that out, I appreciate it. Now it's corrected and repainted.
The small Pitot tube you are refering to is actually (as you may know) a dynamic pressure probe for G-feel (hence the proximity to cockpit). It's indeed surprinsingly robust, doesn't brake easily at all. On the other hand, the long Pitot for airspeed is long gone my friend. You can only see the fairing at the root from what's left of it (fairing and tube are one-piece in the kit). This model was initially a mule/testbed for paints and back then I didn't handle the model with much care. I would have replaced it with a brass one anyway, so I didn't mind.
MariusAlthough finally finished since November last year, I only now found the time to take some pictures.
VintagemodelerAmazing history and outstanding finished model great to read articles like yours 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
MariusThank you guys so much for taking your time and having a look in the album.
@Vintagemodeler: I am happy you found the short article and glad you're finding the combination of modelling and actual history attractive. Actually all of my more recent models from the last 3-4 years have an article attached to them. I was thinking some weeks ago about maybe publishing all of them in a different format together with the models, but we'll see how this turns out.
Łukasz GlińskiThat's a perfect concept for a book/album! 🙂 May I pre-order the first copy?
MariusHaha, that's nice Lukasz, but it's just an idea, it might never happen. But IF (a bif if), a full "Arab-Israeli Air Wars" collection would be the first volume.
Vintagemodeleris it possible to follow individuals here? so i cant loose any posted?
Marius@Vintagemodeler: sure, you ca go to someone's page/profile and there is this button called "actions" close to the profile picture. There you can choose to "follow" or become "mates". If you are following someone, a list of those users will appear on your page and you can check them from time to time. I am also checking from time to time the modellers I am following. I don't know if there is any way to get notifications when some of your mates are posting something.
Album info
Probably the most famous Iraqi MiG-21MF was the machine with serial 1019, an active participant in two major wars: the October 1973 War and Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).
Before 1972, no Iraqi aircraft of Soviet origin had any camouflage painting at all, all being left in their natural metal finish with original stencils in English. After 1972, combat aircraft newly delivered from the USSR to the Arab customers were already painted in the known "sand and spinach" camouflage pattern with the corresponding variations. Export deliveries of MiG-21MFs to Arab countries started in 1972 and the type made therefore no exception from the new painting guideline.
On the 6th of October 1973, the Yom Kippur/Ramadan War erupted with large air strikes conducted by both Syrian and Egyptian Air Forces. While numerous Iraqi Hawker Hunters had already sent to Egypt in April 1973 for a six month joint exercise with the EAF and were still there once the war has started, Iraqi officials found out only from the radio about the war. In accordance to plans and agreements made between Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Egypt several years prior to October 1973, Iraqi swiftly organized a reasonably large expeditionary force in support of Syria and Egypt. Among other aircraft types, the first Iraqi MiG-21s and their crews and technicians arrived in Syria two days after start of the conflict.
The majority of arriving IrAF aircraft still wore their initial natural metal finish and IrAF insignia, but were to receive camouflage painting for the coming combat missions. Syrian technicians applied in the first week of October 1973 camouflage painting using standard Syrian colours to the newly arrived Iraqi machines: orange sand with blue-green stripes/spots and either light admirality grey or Russian admirality blue for the underside. Two examples such as this Syrian MiG-17F (MiG-17F - Syria - 1973 | Album by Redicus (1:72)) or this Syrian MiG-21MF of the era (MiG-21MF - Syria - 1982 | Album by Redicus (1:72)) is how Iraqi aircraft were painted as well. This last example of a Syrian MiG-21MF has a more particular color on the underside which was probably not applied to Iraqi aircraft. The Iraqi aircraft types receiving camouflage painting in Syria were the MiG-17s (Fs, PFs), MiG-21s (FLs and PFMs) and Su-7BMKs.
Still, none of the Iraqi MiG-21MFs are known to have been in a natural metallic finish and nor did they receive the typical SyAAF colors in 1973. All Iraqi MiG-21MFs of the expeditionary force of October 1973 are known to had already been painted in their "sand and spinach" camouflage pattern, as exported from the USSR (such as for example this other Syrian MiG-21MF MiG-21MF - Syria - 1973 | Album by Redicus (1:72)). Nevertheless, it appears that two or three Iraqi MiG-21MFs were still hastily repainted in a different manner, such as the case of the serial 1019, or the serial 1099 (see picture #7 from the gallery). The camouflage pattern of the serial 1019 with Beige-Sand and Olive Drab/Dark Gree was initially developed by the Egyptian overhaul facility at Helwan, but applied in Syria to the 2-3 Iraqi MiGs, likely shortly after the arrival of the Iraqi crews.
This particular MiG-21 serial 1019 was deployed in Syria towards the end of the October 1973 War as part of the No.11 Squadron. During the 22-23 October 1973, very large air battles took place over the Golan Heights between the IDF and SyAAF with the support of the IrAF detachment. On the 23rd October 1973, an Israeli Mirage was claimed to have been shot down by the MiG-21MF serial 1019 while flown by the Iraqi pilot Namiq Sa'adallah. According to official Israeli archives, there is no recorded loss of any Israeli Mirage in neither of the two dates. On the contrary, Israeli pilots claimed 9 downed Syrian aircraft during the large air confrontation of the 23rd October. Nevertheless, independent eye witnesses claimed to have seen at least 10 distinct aircraft going down in flames. Still, the claimed Mirage was officially recognized and recorded by the IrAF and marked under the cockpit of the number 1019 with a small Israeli insignia. Otherwise, in contrast with the initial confrontations against the IDF from the beginning of October, there is close to nothing known about IrAF operations during these last days of the October 1973 War.
According to public official records of the IrAF, a total of thirty Iraqi combat aircraft were written off between 6 and 24 October 1973, out of which half were Su-7BMKs and only five were MiG-21s. The IrAF credited three of its pilots (Sa'adallah included) with a total of five air victories against the IDF, while only four Iraqi jets were lost in actual air confrontations.
On the 8th September 1980, seven years after the events of 1973, Lieutenant Sadiq was credited with a further air victory while flying in this same MiG-21 serial 1019 part of the same No.11 Squadron. The claimed kill was achieved with the improved R-13M missile against an Iranian F-4E during the border skirmishes preceeding the long Iran-Iraq War (22 September 1980 - 20 August 1988). The Iranian F-4E was indeed three kilometers inside Iraqi airspace, attacking the Iraqi 6th Armoured Division. After Sadiq fired two R-13M in the Phantom's direction, the F-4E still managed to escape and return to Iranian airspace. Nevertheless, the Intelligence Department of the IrAF later found out through other channels that the F-4E was hit and severely damaged. Its pilot managed to safely eject over Iranian airspace, but his back seater was not as lucky. While the Iran officially admitted losing several aircraft in this period of time, the general stated cause was Flak or SAM fire. This was also the case of the downed F-4E from 8 September, where the Iranians actually credited this loss to their own ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns. While Sadik could not visually observe and confirm in this case any impact of his missiles due to bad cockpit visibility, other sources are saying that a combination of both the Iraqi missile and Iranian AA fire were equally the cause of the crash.
Nevertheless, this second air victory was still officually confirmed by the IrAF and marked with the Iranian insignia under the cockpit. The most violent period of aerial warfare between Iran and Iraq came to an end in late 1980. Both sides were physically and materially exhausted by more than three months of intense operations and heavy losses. Nevertheless, air-to-air confrontations temporarily peaking in intensity were about to last until at least 1986, with Iraq gaining afterwards absolute air dominance over Western Iran until the end of the conflict.
Nevertheless, the IrAF considered the MiG-21MF obsolete for the interceptor role already by early 1981 and the type was therefore retired from such missions. Still, the type further served in various ground support missions, when circumstances where in its favour. The MiG-21MF serial 1019 spent the rest of its career in the painting scheme applied in 1973 and still seen in 1980 together with the two unique kill marks: one Israeli and one Iranian.
References:
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 5", Harpia Publishing
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 6", Harpia Publishing
T. Cooper, M. Sipsos, "Wings of Iraq, Volume 2", Helion & Company
Ra'anan Weiss, "The Israeli AF in the Yom Kippur War", IsraDecal Publications
T. Cooper, F. Bishop "Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat", Osprey Publishing
Group Build
15. Mars jusqu'à 31. Décembre 2021