It has garbage missiles, no flares, no warning systems, and mediocre dogfight performance. 9/10 deaths are to missiles rather than dogfighting with zero counterplay.
There have been many jets added that simply do what it does but better since its release, and it can’t escape things as well anymore, if at all, through pure speed. Now, most jets at its tier, and basically every jet at 10.0/10.3, can match its speed.
You can sack one of your garbage missile slots for rockets to use as makeshift crap flares instead, and they do nothing 90% of the time (because they’re rockets).
This jet struggles in every game other than when it’s uptiering, and that should not be the case for a pricey premium vehicle.
+4x A2A missiles when supersonics at 9.3 have 0-2 A2A missiles… yeah, it belongs at 9.7. As it stands, Im almost of the opinion it could get away with being 10.0.
Now please imagine facing the Mig-21S in a 8.7, most are DOA in that fight, now imagine the same for 8.0 or 8.3 aircraft.
Uptiers work in both ways.
7.0+ desperately needs to be decompressed, but as hard as it is for the Mig-21S to evade an uptier, just imagine doing it in a subsonic or dealing with a Mig-21 in an uptier
Also, just because its a premium, doesnt mean it should be P2W. Soviets have waaaaaay too many of those at the moment
the mig21S has one of the best mig21 flight models in game, you just have to avoid letting anyone get the opportunity to fire a missile at you, which is more than doable with its flight model, its all about positioning