After 61 years since entering the Romanian army, the MiG-21 aircraft model (with its several variants) ended its career in Romania. On May 15, 2023, the 71st Air Base “General Emanuel Ionescu” from Campia-Turzi, the 86th Air Base “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mochornice” from Borca and the 95th Air Base “Erou capitan aviator Alexandru Şerbănescu” from Bacău carried out the last flights from Litaka MiG-21 LanceRs are still in service, until they were withdrawn from combat service by the Romanian Army on the same day. This is an important and significant moment for generations of soldiers who faithfully served the Motherland on MiG-21 aircraft, and for those who, unfortunately, made the ultimate sacrifice on board this aircraft model to prepare for the defense of independence. , sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania.

On this anniversary watch, we proposed to revive some of the ideas we expressed over the years regarding the MiG-21 aircraft that entered the Romanian army fund.

In July 1960, the Romanian military delegation discussed in Moscow with representatives of the command of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact Organization the issue of improving the equipment of the Romanian army with weapons, ammunition and combat equipment. Then it was recommended to create four anti-aircraft missile regiments and equip them by 1965. At the same time, it was specified that in all fighter regiments it is necessary to replace MiG-15 with 104 MiG-21, which had to be imported. 1965 (of which 60 MiG-21 PF, for interception, with delivery during 1964-1965), and “existing MiG-15 and MiG-15 BIS aircraft to equip the 2nd fighter-bomber aviation regiments and provide shk. need”.

A few months later, during his visit to Bucharest (February 17-19, 1961), Soviet Marshal Andrey Andreyevich Gretsiko recommended equipping the 38th Research Aviation Squadron with IAK-27R or IAK-28R aircraft – Soviet Il- 28, the Romanian unit in Moscow is considered morally exhausted. A Soviet report compiled in early 1961 stated that the Romanian Army was short of nine IAK-27R aircraft and 136 MiG-21 aircraft (as of January 1, 1961). Both types of aircraft cost 3.5 million rubles each (at the rate of 1 ruble = 1.5 lei). Another Soviet document dated April 3, 1961 gave different prices: the MiG-21F cost 514,125 rubles and the IAK-27R 555,000 rubles (probably new rubles, and their equipment differed from the standard variants). At the same time, the export price of the IAK-28 bomber was 1,125,000 rubles.

During his visit to Romania in February 1961, the Supreme Commander of the United Armed Forces also recommended Soviet Su-7B aircraft to equip the Romanian fighter-bomber regiments, and General Leontin Salajan agreed to the inclusion of 12 Su-7B aircraft (with delivery in 1964) and 11 IAK-27R (with delivery in 1963) in the list of military equipment purchases for the period 1963-1965.

Although this was the recommendation of the representative of the “Big Brother from the East”, and General Leontin Salajan supported it on March 22, 1961 in a report sent to the leadership of the PMR (which states that 12 Su-7B and 11 IAK-28 are not IAK-27 R, as requested six months later in a document sent to Ion Gheorghe Maurer on September 4, 1961), the Bucharest authorities did not import any of the aircraft mentioned by the Supreme Commander of the United Armed Forces. Preference was given to the decision initially proposed in Moscow (July 1960) to gradually replace the MiG-15, MiG-15 BIS, S-102 and MiG-17 in fighter regiments with the MiG-21. At the same time, Il-10 attack aircraft (in the amount of 150 pcs.) were scrapped, and two fighter regiments (R.49 and R.67 – formerly R.277 and R.158 Av. Reaktivny – equipped with MIG-15 BIS) . , S-102 and MIG-17 PF) were converted by the Romanian authorities into fighter-bomber regiments (March 31, 1960).

The first MiG-21 F-13 aircraft destined for Romania arrived in the country in February 1962 and landed at Deveselu airfield (Olt county), where the 91st Fighter Aviation Regiment (equipped with MiG-19 P and PM) was stationed. They were part of a batch of 12 examples planned for 1962 and were brought by Soviet pilots. After the completion of the expansion of the airstrip in Jarmat (Timish County), all MiG 21 F-13s were transferred near Timisoara and entered service with the 93rd Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Later, the first Romanian pilots who were going to transfer to the MiG-21 F-13 aircraft were trained for two months at the aviation center in Krasnodar (in Siberia): Lieutenant Colonels Alexandru Marku and Dumitra Puu, as well as Majors Gheorghe Zagara, Livii Sebau and Aurel Gheorghe . On June 6, 1962, Alexandru Marku was the first to take off in this aircraft, followed shortly by other pilots, after which they returned to Romania together as instructors for the MiG-21 F-13. Then, in November 1962, Romanian pilots began flying to Deveselu with the apparatus brought on February 12, 1962 by their Soviet counterparts, and on August 15, 1963, it arrived at Mykhailo Kogelnicanu Airport (Constanța county), also by air, the second batch of 12 MiG 21 F-13 – to support the 2nd squadron of the 57th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Although the Romanian Army received several models and variants of MiG aircraft during the 1950s and into the early part of the following decade, some of the relevant units were physically worn when they were imported, and others did not meet the Romanians’ wishes. military command. For example, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the PMR on February 26-27, 1963, Leontin Salajan stated that “We did not agree to buy MiGs without an interceptor. The MiGs we want to buy [sovieticii] they said they were not ready (emphasis added)”. According to the recommendation of representatives of the command of the United Armed Forces in July 1960 and the plan developed in the State Plan in the summer of 1961, Romania was to import 44 MiG-21 F-13 fighters (24 in 1963 and the rest in 1965), 60 interceptors MiG-21 PF (36 in 1964 and 24 in 1965), 11 IAK-27 R or IAK-28 R reconnaissance aircraft (in 1963), 2 Mi-4 underwater search helicopters (in 1963 ) and 12 Su-7B fighter-bombers (1964). We clarify that the MiG-21 F-13 was a fighter equipped with an air-to-air missile system of the K-13 type, it flew during the day regardless of existing weather conditions, and at night – only under normal weather conditions.

Since mass production of the MiG 21 PF began at the GAZ 30 plant in Moscow only in 1961, the delivery of 60 MiG interceptors to Romania was initially planned for the period 1964-1965, then was partially canceled by the Soviet Union in 1962. This could be one of the reasons why General Leontin Salajan mentioned this situation at the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the PMR on February 26-27, 1963.

A year later, at a plenary meeting of the party active in the army (Bucharest, May 6, 1964), Minister Leontin Salaian resumed the debate on this controversial topic, having previously reported how combat equipment was acquired for the Romanian rocket regiments, thus: “While in Moscow on other matters, a draft protocol appears, you buy 4 shelves of rocketswhat rockets [?]we didn’t even know I did not know, there are no characteristics, there is nothing. And of course, I called home“comrades, look, things are offered that I can’t handle alone”, I do not have agreement with the management, of course I said that I do not agree, I do not sign any protocolI’m going to report home and then we’ll come again, this the world is not the end, you did not give us so much time, we will stay a little longer. And of course, after we got approval, we made stockbut as I have said in other materials, suddenly you will wake up, as we woke up these days, you can know that we are giving him a gift, so far we are having a hard time with this MiG 21B (correct: MiG-21 PF – note P. Off), now it gives us all of a sudden “take 60”, only that The news reached our ears that another plane had arrived. Only we are from the devil look, we don’t want, he says we are also factionalists, give money to our peopleSo[r] how can i afford this job I would lack seriousness and honor if I allowed myself to spend people’s money on things [pe] who knows, I am convinced that it is already outdated and it is better to stay for another year, to take something that seems more modern. […]

Last year I was at the aircraft factory. The factory manager told me that it is no longer in production (probably MiG 21 PF – note P. Off), what this is the last serieswhich we pass to another, higher type (chic!). I officially asked, [generalul Vasile] Ionel asked them formally [:] “Guys, we heard you have another boyfriend.” “We don’t know, we don’t have anything” [au răspuns sovieticii]. Or when he forgot [mareşalul Andrei] Greek what did he say to the chinese (chic!), he told me when I was in Polandhistory how the Chinese asked for a MiG 21, and he says: “he elbows me, and I told them that I don’t have one.” But I say [:] “Okay, okay, you told the Chinese, but why did you tell me the same thing?”. About 2 years ago, these problems did not appear [dintre URSS şi China]. I was actually told too: “We don’t have it, Salajan, we don’t have it” (emphasis added)”.

In the end, the Romanian Army received only 38 MiG-21 PF aircraft in two batches: 14 aircraft on 20 January 1965 and 24 aircraft on 18 July 1965 (18 MiG-21 PF arrived at Squadron 1 Av.V. Deveselu on 18 July 1965) . The problem that the Minister of the Armed Forces of Romania spoke about was solved by the Moscow authorities in 1965, when the first MiG-21 PFM were delivered. They entered service the following year – the first squadron, consisting of 12 aircraft, was ready for missions on January 1, 1966. In the same period, a group of 27 pilots was created under the command of Colonel Mihai Ferezan (commander of the 57th Av-Regiment .V from the Mykhailo Kogelnicanu base, 1962-1966) who fired air-to-air missiles mounted on MiG- 21 F-13, near the Astrakhan educational center (USSR, May 1965).

Other aspects of existing problems in the field of military cooperation between Romania and the USSR were discussed at the plenum of the party active (Bucharest, May 6, 1964). Major Generals Vasile Alexe and Ion Stoyan stated at the time that four MiG-21 aircraft were not used in Romania for five months due to malfunction of some pressure pumps, and their delivery by the Soviet Union was very late. The region’s air defense commander also said that nearly 100 RD-9B engines used by MiG-19 fighters had not been repaired because the Bacau plant had not received a repair manual from the Soviet Union. (the so-called “Book 8”, accidentally found in Budapest by General Ion Ionice).

For his part, Major General Ion Stoyan stated that the pilots did not fly the MiG-21 in Romania because the Soviet Union did not provide all the special flight helmets for the device, as well as the documentation necessary for the operation and maintenance of some radar stations. and the on-board rocket inspection shop in the first case was received only partially, and in the second case late. – Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro