I have recently purchased the MIG-21S (R-13-300) due to the current sale and I have been having quite a fun time in higher-tier matches. However, I often find myself getting domed by R-60s and lacking protection. The missiles on my jet also seem lacklustre compared to other USSR-based jets such as the Yak-38(Lower BR than the MIG-21S btw) I am fairly new to higher tiers so feel free to pick up on my mistakes however I see no reason as to why the MIG-21S (R-13-300) should not get R-60s or at least flares to defend itself.
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I don’t have them myself, but many people said Yak-38 is a flying brick with terrible flight performance, the R-60s are all it has. MiG-21S with R-60s would result in a higher BR because it has good flight performance too.
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The Mig-21s predates the R60 by years, and was born in an era where flares were something of a luxury on a fighter aircraft. To compensate for lacking these it get better baseline flight performance for its BR than a Yak38 which is more of a boom and zoom missile truck with much worse dogfighting performance.
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The Mig-21S is an incredible plane for its BR. It’s main strengths are its raw engine power and flight performance. VERY few things can outrun you and/or beat you in a one circle fight. You have a response for pretty much everything you encounter.
On top of that your missile kit isn’t that bad either. The R-3 is considered a “starter” missile because it can me dodged with a simple maneuver, however they’re still quite deadly when used on unaware or low-energy targets (which you find quite often due to good engine and agility) and you get 4 of them.
Furthermore, you get a radar missile at 9.7. That practically makes you the King of high altitude in any match that isn’t a full uptier. The R-3R (the radar variant of the R-3) is actually a much more versatile missile simply because you can shoot it in all aspects and can lead it. If you learn how to use those to qualities to their full extent you’ll find it almost guarantees you one kill per missile when fired at the correct target. It can also be fired in a last second head-on ( <1.5km) and catch players off guard.
Its only caveat, as you said, is that it can encounter high performance missiles (AIM-9D/G/J, R-60, SRAAM or even AIM-9Ls). Once they are fired at you, you have no hopes of avoiding them. That is why when playing it you need to exercise the utmost caution and always pay attention to your surroundings. It is key to constantly check your six o’clock and always be aware of what enemy planes are around you - See an AV-8 somewhere off in the distance? Make a mental note of it as it carries such missiles. A Yak-38 unexpectedly slotted in behind you? Immediately put yourself in a position where he doesn’t have your rear aspect.
But the single biggest threat to the MiG-21S are the all-aspect missiles that the A-10 and the Su-25 carry. Always keep your distance from them and try to catch them off guard. In the event that you do find yourself facing such a plane at close range your final option is to take it in a head-on, wait for them to fire the missile at you and then use your own IR missile (the R-3S) on it which will be enough to decoy it, giving you a chance to escape.
My preferred loadout is 3 R-3Rs and 1 R-3S for firing at all-aspect missiles.
The MiG-21S is my all time favourite plane in the game and also my most played. It takes a lot of getting used to, however. Just learn to make the most out of your strengths while minimising exposure of your weaknesses. What I’ve outlined here doesn’t cover everything there is to know but if you fly it enough you’ll get used to its performance, envelope, etc.
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There isn’t really a good reason.
MiG-21S is misleading.
It has a bad FM. Take 20 mins fuel max. You cannot dogfight. If you miss your shots, you will have bled so much a MiG-17 will run you down and gun you.
Any kill that requires maneuvering is going to get you killed. Climb high and shoot radars at alt, then convert altitude into 1-2 heater shots.
It climbs well, rolls well, and can eventually hit mach. That’s it. In 1v1 if your opponent (ie J-5) is skilled and you miss the head-on, Jout or fight it makes no difference.
After BVR
You join a 1v1 and kill them. Gang up to mask the weak FM.
Don’t worry about missiles, just burn through all 4, RTB and shoot off all 4 again.
Your favorite target is other MiG-21S because they are the easiest to kill. Much easier than even 8.0.
Sounds like a skill issue tbh. Migs are all undertiered because of trash russia mains who turnfight biplanes. Silly vertical perf and energy generation+retention. Consequently we have migs and sabres ruining every damn 8.0+ match because they’re better than everything else.
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Hey uhhh… what’s your highest BR TT vehicle? Because this sounds very much like the skill issue of someone who has never flown a jet…
9.3 MiG-19PT, spaded the 15bis with 1.6 kdr.
In props, 190, Yak3, Yak9, it is 2-4 KDR.
You cannot seriously be complaining about a MiG-21 . . .
On further reflection, it’s the matchmaking that keeps uptiering the 9.7’s and less to do with the 21S itself.
The inaccurate maneuverability of F8U and some other fighters is threatening to the 21S. It has extremely bad retention over 550, without much excess power, leading to being often 3rd partied.
It is very vulnerable to countermeasures (AV-8, A-10) but can theoretically defeat each individually, and often does late in the round.
F8 overperformance
The average speed of the 21S isn’t better than the MiG-17AS/J-5, but the thrust weight is better. It might be the 21S has an inaccurate flight model that has too little excess power at higher airspeeds. But it’s the matchmaker that has final say.
I stand by my opinion that a MiG-17 isn’t meaningfully slower, even with gentle turns.
bro what
its a delta wing interceptor, no duh it looses all of its speed in one turn that isnt unique to the S. The S’s major upside is the fact that it has 25% more engine power than any other mig 21 variant up until the SMT at a full BR higher.
If you cant beat your opponent in one turn (you should be able to beat most given your high aoa, responsive controls, and crazy powerful engine) simply accelerate away and give it another shot. You can control almost every engagement you find yourself in with this plane. The thing matches an f104 in terms of engine power
I’m not saying making 90 turns, I’m saying if you turn 20 to shoot the MiG-17 isn’t any slower, so the J-5 feels almost as fast in a furball, if not faster.
And can gun/missile you in your attempt to leave, quite often in my experience with J-5.
Simple, the R-60 is a missile from 1972 or 1973, I don’t remember, the Mig-21S was used from 1965 to 1968, to begin with the plane doesn’t even have its original engine, in the game it uses the R-13- 300, but it was equipped with the R-11, the R-13 is from the Mig-21SM, in addition to also using the paintwork of a Mig-21SM, the SM also from what I remember only used the R-13M and was not equipped with Flares, the only migs that were probably equipped with Flares were the Mig-21MF and the Bis in the service of Russia, you literally have an extremely strong plane sitting in the 9.7 man… learn how to use it and stop asking for missiles the aircraft didn’t load, if it were rubbish and in the same BR as the Mig-21MF I would even understand asking for an R-13 or R-60, but you’re in 9.7, learn how to use it
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The F-18 used AIM-9L’s in desert storm, looking forward to the historically accurate AIM-7M + AIM-9L vs R-73 + R-27ER matchup. F-16C had only AIM-7M.
F-16C in service with the USAF did not use the AIM-7M, and the F-18 used 9L and 9M, in Desert Storm only 9M was used, I did not understand your comment.
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Makes sense then, cold war F-16C shouldn’t have missiles introduced after cold war (started 1984). No AMRAAM and as you suggested no AIM-7M. Since they were not available in USAF service by 1991.
It was produced between 1965 and 1968. It did not exit service before the R-60.
There is no legitimate reason besides game balance.
21S performs “well” because the enemy flies into the R-3. It doesn’t perform well because it is a powerful (ahistorical) performer like F8.
I would literally rather fly the J-5 if you couldn’t get 1-3 free kills a game from people flying into the R-3R.
So prove where the R-60 is in the MIG-21S manual, You’re just showing that you know absolutely nothing about the subject, my friend… Did the Cold War start in 1984? Wasn’t the AIM-7M in USAF service in 1991? (If you’re talking about the AMRAAM, it makes sense, but The game’s F-16C is a mix and not a definitive version of the F-16 from any year, and I don’t know what the F-16 has to do with the Mig-21S since both are in a different BR.
Yes this does not come from manual.