The last of the classic Cold War-era [1]MiG-21 Fishbed fighters in

The last of the classic Cold War-era [1]MiG-21 Fishbed fighters in
Europe have been stood down from operational duties. Assigned to NATO,
the Croatian Air Force was the final European operator of the MiG-21, a
type that originally entered service back in 1959 and which had been a
presence over the continent ever since then, in the hands of more than
a dozen different nations.

Croatia’s Ministry of Defense announced that, [2]as of yesterday, Dec.
1, its MiG-21s — which equip its sole fighter squadron — would no
longer defend the country’s airspace during peacetime quick reaction
alert (QRA) duty.
A Croatian MiG-21 pilot assigned to the 191st Fighter Squadron taxis
out to the flight line during Agile Combat Employment operations with
the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy at Croatia’s 91st Air
Base at Pleso, March 17, 2022. Missions such as these enhance the
readiness necessary to respond to any potential challenge in Southeast
Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Miquel Jordan) A Croatian
Air Force MiG-21 taxis out to the flight line during joint operations
with the U.S. Air Force 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, at
Croatia’s 91st Air Base at Pleso, March 17, 2022. Photo by Tech. Sgt.
Miquel Jordan Tech. Sgt. Miquel Jordan

Although Croatia has already begun to receive far more advanced
[3]Dassault Rafale multirole fighters, these won’t start operational
duties yet, since they are required for pilot training. The Croatian
Ministry of Defense had previously expected the Rafale to achieve
initial operational capability by the end of 2025, but this could slip
until early 2026.
A photograph taken on April 25, 2024 shows a Rafale fighter jet landing
during the arrival ceremony for the first batch of the jets purchased
from France, in Zagreb, Croatia. Croatia received the first six of a
dozen used French fighter jets after the warplanes touched down in the
capital Zagreb. Croatia purchased the Rafale jets as part of a major
overall of its air force, with the planes replacing a fleet of ageing
Russian-made MiGs. (Photo by DAMIR SENCAR / AFP) (Photo by DAMIR
SENCAR/AFP via Getty Images) A Croatian Air Force Rafale touches down
at Pleso Air Base, Croatia, on April 25, 2024. Photo by DAMIR SENCAR /
AFP DAMIR SENCAR

Until then, Croatian airspace will be temporarily guarded by the
Italian Air Force and the Hungarian Air Force, flying [4]Eurofighter
Typhoons and [5]Saab Gripens, respectively, from air bases in their own
countries.

Ironically, both the Typhoon and Gripen had been offered to Croatia to
replace its MiG-21s, together with [6]F-16 Block 70/72s and second-hand
F-16s, before the Rafale [7]was chosen in May 2021.

The final selection of the Rafale was also protracted, only happening
after an earlier deal for 12 second-hand Israeli F-16C/Ds had
[8]collapsed in 2019 when the U.S. Congress refused to approve the
transfer of the fighters.
A pair of Croatian Air Force MiG-21 scrambles in afterburner from Pleso
Air Base. Mulag/Wikimedia Commons

The Croatian government is not paying for the stopgap QRA coverage,
with the air defense fighters being provided under a NATO arrangement
broadly similar to the alliance’s [9]Baltic Air Policing mission, which
protects the Baltic states.

Currently, the Croatian Air Force has received seven Rafales (five
single-seaters and a pair of two-seaters), with the remaining five
single-seaters due to arrive by the end of April 2025, at the rate of
one aircraft per month. Like the MiG-21s, the Rafales fly from Pleso
Air Base, also known as the 91st Air Base, co-located with the
international airport in the country’s capital, Zagreb.

As we reported before, the 12 Rafales will provide [10]a huge leap in
capabilities for the Croatian Air Force, which will advance from a
second-generation fighter armed with short-range air-to-air missiles to
an advanced fourth-generation jet offering active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles,
precision attack, and many other potential new capabilities.
A Croatian Air Force MiG-21 armed with R-60MK (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air
missiles and on the taxiway at Pleso Air Base. Ex13/Wikimedia Commons

The only air defense armament available to the MiG-21s was the
infrared-guided R-60MK (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missile, as well as the
internal 23mm twin-barrel cannon. The Fishbed had a particularly
important air defense role, considering that Croatia for many years
otherwise only operated anti-aircraft guns, man-portable air defense
systems (MANPADS), and vehicle-mounted [11]Strela-type short-range
surface-to-air missiles.

It’s unclear when the MiG-21s will cease flying altogether, with the
potential that some training activities or familiarization flights will
still take place. However, as of now, the Fishbed has ended its
operational service in Europe. The last previous operator on the
continent, Romania, retired its upgraded [12]MiG-21 LanceR fleet in May
2023.

In recent years, only a handful of Croatian MiG-21s were still active,
hampered by dwindling supplies of spares.
U.S. Air Force F-16C and F-15C fighter jets fly over the Adriatic Sea
alongside an Italian Air Force F-35A and (far right) a pair of Croatian
MiG-21s. The formation was put up during Exercise Astral Knight, on May
21, 2021. The multinational exercise brought together the U.S. military
and forces from Albania, Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia. U.S. Air
Force/Staff Sgt. Malissa Lott

Emerging from the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, Croatia received its
first MiG-21 when a Yugoslav Air Force pilot defected to the country in
one of the jets in February 1992. The windfall fighter was then put
into Croatian service but was shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina in
June of the same year.

Another pair of MiG-21s arrived in Croatia via defections in May 1992,
one of these also being lost in combat.

As recently independent Croatia built up its air force, it acquired 40
MiG-21s from Ukraine between 1993 and 1994, these aircraft having been
originally used by another ex-Soviet state, Kyrgyzstan. These were
provided to Croatia despite an arms embargo. Of these fighters, 26 were
put into Croatian service, while the other 14 were used for spare
parts.

As well as another wartime shoot-down, in May 1995, the Croatian
Fishbed fleet suffered six attrition losses after hostilities had come
to an end in September 1995.
A U.S. Navy F-14B Tomcat assigned to VF-103 flies in formation with a
pair of Croatian Air Force MiG-21s during the Joint Wings multinational
exercise in October 2002. U.S. Navy photo by Capt. Dana Potts Dana
Potts

With no replacement in sight, in 2003, Croatia decided to provide eight
of its single-seat MiG-21s with a modest upgrade, undertaken in
Romania, which were intended to allow them to serve until 2024.
However, this was primarily an overhaul and is in no way comparable to
the extensive modernizations undertaken on [13]Indian or [14]Romanian
MiG-21s, for example. At the same time, another four two-seat MiG-21s
were acquired, either from Poland or Romania.

With NATO membership on the horizon, the upgrade did add Western
communication, identification, and navigation systems and the aircraft
emerged from the work with new designations: MiG-21bisD for the
single-seaters and MiG-21UMD for the two-seaters.
A single two-seat Croatian Air Force MiG-21UMD was painted in this
striking red-and-white scheme to reflect Croatia’s national colors.
Chris Lofting/Wikimedia Commons

A further overhaul and refurbishment for seven Croatian MiG-21s took
place in Ukraine, between 2013 and 2015, and Zagreb also bought another
five Fishbeds at the same time, although these turned out to be
problematic, and all of them spent a period grounded. Meanwhile, the
Croatian government investigated their provenance, [15]amid reports
that four of them had fuselages taken from second-hand Bulgarian
MiG-21s, which would have breached the terms of the contract.

With the MiG-21’s retirement looming, Croatia held a public farewell
for its MiGs at Pleso in May of this year, which also included
participation from the Rafale.

Croatia premiers their new Rafales to the public for the first time.
European spotters turnout is considerable. Probably the last
European airshow to feature an active MiG-21.
[16]pic.twitter.com/dXZpHrNpRN
— Peter Voinovich (@PeterVoinovich) [17]May 11, 2024

The MiG-21 will be remembered in Croatia as the backbone of its fighter
arm throughout its highly turbulent formative years and eventually for
more than three decades.

At the same time, Croatia will go down in history as the final operator
of the MiG-21 in Europe. The Fishbed still serves elsewhere in the
world, however, notably in [18]India and [19]North Korea, while smaller
numbers of the iconic fighters are still operating in a handful of
other countries.

Contact the author: [email protected]

References

1. https://www.twz.com/37405/how-israel-got-this-mig-21-that-sean-connery-posed-next-to-was-like-a-real-life-bond-movie
2. https://tangosix.rs/2024/02/12/kraj-karijere-poslednjih-mig-ova-21-u-evropi-hrvatski-vazdusni-prostor-privremeno-ce-cuvati-italijani-i-madjari/
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