- Yes, all variants
- Yes, the LanceR A
- Yes, the LanceR B
- Yes, the LanceR C
- No, I don’t want any LanceR
G’day lads, I’ve seen that despite there being, to say the least, dozens of vehicles in WT, there aren’t lot of romanian vehicles, so here I am suggesting one of Romanias most modern (until recently) aircraft, the MiG-21 LanceR!
Description:
Spoiler
The MiG-21 LanceR is a modernized version of the MiG-21, developed by Romania (Aerostar SA) in collaboration with Israel’s Elbit Systems. The modernization program, which took place between 1995 and 2002, aimed to extend the operational life and capabilities of the MiG-21. The program resulted in three main variants:
LanceR A, the CAS variant
LanceR B, the trainer variant
And at last the LanceR C, the air superiority variant.
This aircraft has a lot of similarities with the IAI MiG-21 2000 which has also gained attention from Romania, but instead of upgrading from IAI by just buying the aircraft, they just upgraded their current at the time old MiG-21’s with the help of Elbit, you could say that the IAI MiG-21 2000 was the early variant of the MiG-21 LanceR.
History:
Spoiler
In the early 1990s, Romania faced economic challenges that led to a reduced defense budget. This financial constraint made it difficult for the country to acquire new fighter aircraft. Instead, the Romanian Air Force decided to upgrade its existing fleet of MiG-21s. In 1992, the Romanian Ministry of Defense issued a request for proposals to five companies for the modernization of these aircraft. The companies included MAPO Mikhoyan-Gurevich from Russia, Thomson from France, GEC Marconi from the UK, and two Israeli companies, Elbit Ltd and IAI Lahavi.
From the outset, the plan was to involve Aerostar SA, a Romanian company with over 25 years of experience in repairing MiG-21s. By the end of 1992, Aerostar SA and IAI Lahav had developed a functional mock-up of the MiG-21-2000, which was showcased at the Le Bourget Air Show in 1993. By mid-1993, Elbit Ltd was selected as the main integrator for the modernization project, and contracts were signed with the Romanian Ministry of Defense and Aerostar SA. The modernization contract was officially authorized on November 15, 1993.
Elbit Ltd was chosen due to its extensive experience in upgrading aircraft such as the L-39 and F-5, as well as its commitment to involving the Romanian aerospace industry. Shortly after the contract was authorized, mixed teams of Israeli and Romanian engineers began designing the new systems at Aerostar SA using CAD software.
This collaboration led to the development of the MiG-21 LanceR, a modernized version of the MiG-21 with enhanced avionics, radar systems, and weapon capabilities.
^ MiG-21 Lancer 714 prototype shown at Farnborough in 1996
The final mission of the MiG-21 LanceR took place on May 15, 2023, with ceremonies held at the 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii and the 86th Air Base near Borcea.
Several factors influenced the decision to retire the MiG-21 LanceR, including its high accident rate and the need for modernization. In 2022, the Romanian Air Force temporarily suspended flight activities with the MiG-21 LanceR due to safety concerns. Although the aircraft resumed operations for about a year, it was clear that a more modern fleet was necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of Romania’s air defense.
To replace the MiG-21 LanceR, Romania accelerated the acquisition of F-16 aircraft from Norway, adding to the 17 ex-Portuguese Air Force F-16s already in service. The transition to the F-16 fleet is expected to provide enhanced capabilities and ensure the protection of Romanian airspace for the foreseeable future.
The retirement of the MiG-21 LanceR was celebrated with a traditional water cannon salute and a final flyover at three air bases in Romania.
This goes so hard, feel free to screenshot
Armaments for each variant:
Spoiler
LanceR A:
GSh-23L
Python 3
POSSIBLY Python 4, there is no picture proof, however the A (aswell as C later on) has DASH, which is also used with the Python 4
R-73
R-60
R-13M
R-3S
Griffin LGB
Opher Mk82
S-5K Rockets
Dumb bombs
LITENING II Pod
ARP reconnaissance pod
ECM Pod
490/800 Litre drop tank
EL/M-2001B RO (Same “Radar” found on all the current Kfirs ingame right now)
LanceR B:
I mean it’s literally a trainer variant, it only has fuel tanks, what did you expect?
490/800 Litre drop tank
LanceR C:
GSh-23L
Python 3
POSSIBLY Python 4
R-73
R-60
R-13M
R-3S
Magic 1/2
490/800 Litre drop tank
Elta EL/M-2032 Radar
DASH Helmet System
(Sorry if some images will be low quality, they are the only ones i could find)
Specifications:
Spoiler
LanceR C should weight about 5750kg empty with a max takeoff weight of 10400kg, meanwhile the A and B should weigh a little less due to having a smaller, lighter/no radar.
It features a wingspan of 7,15m, the length of 14,5m and lastly a height of 4,1m. Like all fighter variants of the MiG-21, it can only carry a single crewmember, aside of course the LanceR B. In terms of engines, it has the Tumansky R-13-300 turbojet engine with 68 kN or Tumansky R-11F2S-300 with 63 kN. This gives it the maximum speed of 2175km/h at 10000m altitude, the maximum speed at sea level is 1300km/h, a maximum service ceiling of 18000 m and thus reaches a maximum range of 1500km’s.
Sources:
Spoiler
Romania suspends all MiG-21 LanceR flights | Romania Insider
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/370139663117265186/
https://www.geocities.ws/Pentagon/Barracks/5297/aircraft/mig21.html
Datei:MiG-21 Lancer C cropped.jpg – Wikipedia
List of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 variants - Wikipedia
MiG-21 Lancer Upgrade Program Update
Romania Inaugurates F-16 Pilot Training Hub For NATO Allies And Ukraine
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/a--711287334872868958/
https://bemil.chosun.com/brd/files/BEMIL081/upload/EL-2032.pdf
https://www.iai.co.il/p/elm-2032#gscw505532
Thanks a lot for reading! If you have any extra information about the MiG-21 LanceR variants, then feel free to share them in the replies! As always, have a good day :)
