MiG-21bis-SAU (Germany)

This page is about the German jet fighter MiG-21bis-SAU (Germany). For other versions, see MiG-21 (Family).

◊MiG-21bis-SAU

◊MiG-21MF

◊MiG-23MLA

◊MiG-21bis-SAU

◊MiG-21MF

◊MiG-23MLA

Germany

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.0	11.0	11.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:150 000

Purchase:830 000

Show in game

Description

The ◊MiG-21bis-SAU is a rank VII German jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ground Breaking".

The MiG-21bis-SAU is an export version of the Soviet MiG-21Bis for the DDR. It is a second-generation jet fighter with small upgrades over the original MiG-21bis found in the soviet tree.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Drogue parachute

Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway

Max speed

at 13 000 m2 240 km/h

Turn time37 s

Max altitude16 000 m

EngineTumansky R-25-300

Type

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight10 t

The Mig-21bis-SAU has very nice acceleration, especially at low-end speeds, this allows for a quick takeoff roll and quick recovery of energy after a dogfight. It also accelerates the MiG up to and exceeds the airframe limits for top speeds at medium to low altitudes regularly. The MiG-21 has a delta wing, which gives it exceptional agility, nose authority and raw AOA. Pilots of the MiG-21bis-SAU will find the aircraft capable of "pointing" the nose at the enemy aircraft in most situations, and the raw thrust the MiG has will also allow for a degree of stallfighting. However, as a delta winged design it will bleed a lot of speed in high AOA manoeuvers, so prolonged dogfights will not be in the MiG-21bis-SAUs favor against more conventional wing designs.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 13,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,177	2,142	16000	37.8	38.8	191.0	179.8	750
Upgraded	___	___		__._	__._	__._	__._

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1365	700	N/A	500	450	~12	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 650	< 600	< 950	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Tumansky R-25-300		1	6,132 kg		371 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)				Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		10m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	34m fuel
1,140 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		6,852 kg	7,532 kg	8,232 kg	8,532 kg	10,000 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	10m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	34m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	4,040 kgf	7,344 kgf	1.07	0.98	0.89	0.86	0.73
Optimal	4,040 kgf (0 km/h)	9,068 kgf (1,200 km/h)	1.32	1.20	1.10	1.06	0.91

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff

Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural1 365 km/h

Gear700 km/h

Armour layout for the MiG-21bis-SAU (Germany)

• 60 mm (64°) Bulletproof glass - Central windshield
• 10 mm Steel plate - Behind the pilot's head rest

There is barely any armour in the plane to protect the pilot, fuel tanks, or engine. The little armour it has will not save you from a head-on attack with any enemy unless you are lucky.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 838 → 4 092

RB8 121 → 11 710

SB8 295 → 11 961

Total cost of modifications264 000

413 000

Talisman cost2 900

Crew training240 000

Experts830 000

Aces3 000

Research Aces1 140 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 310 / 600 %

238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 430 Compressor Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 430 New boosters Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 Wings repair Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 510 G-suit Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 Engine Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470	Airframe Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 Cover Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470	Flares/Chaff Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 430 ZB-500 Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 430 R-3S Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 430 FAB-250 Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 UB-16 Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 R-3R Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 ns23_belt_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 510 FAB-500 Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 510 UB-32 Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 510 R-13M Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 510 ns23_new_gun Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 EFS Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 S-24 Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470 R-60MK Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 470

As with other high-ranking jet aircraft, performance, countermeasures and improved missiles are imperative for the MiG-21bis-SAU. These will allow pilots of the MiG to both survive longer and deal more damage to the enemy team.

The first modification recommended to unlock is Flares/Chaff, at rank 1. Then Compressor for extra acceleration. Afterwards, gaining both the R-3S and R-3R modifications, plus Airframe will lead up to rank 3 modifications. The R-13M missile is recommended as the first modification for rank 3, followed by Wings Repair and Offensive 23mm. This will allow Rank 4 research, and the R-60MK, an all-aspect IR dogfight missile. Fuselage repair, New Boosters, G-suit, Engine and Cover will finish off performance mods and give MiG-21bis-SAU pilots the best performance possible in the aircraft. Bombs, Rockets and EFS can come in any order, as the MiG-21bis-SAU is primarily focused on air-to-air combat.

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)	CCRP (Bombs)

Offensive armament

The MiG-21bis-SAU (Germany) is armed with:

A choice between two presets:

• 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (250 rpg)
• 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon + 64 x countermeasures

The GSh-23L cannon will be familiar to pilots which have already flown the MiG-21MF.

It has relatively low velocity with a high fire-rate, therefore it is recommended for pilots to engage enemies at relatively close range, or enemies that are travelling at a fairly slow speed. Pilots should be mindful that with the ammo capacity of 250 rounds, this gives a trigger time of roughly 4.4 seconds, so trigger discipline will help the aspiring MiG-21bis-SAU pilot. The GSh-23 has high damage output, so even a few rounds will usually cripple or destroy enemy aircraft.

Suspended armament

The MiG-21bis-SAU (Germany) can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

• Without load
• 2 x R-13M1 missiles
• 4 x R-3S missiles
• 4 x R-3R missiles
• 4 x R-13M1 missiles
• 4 x R-60MK missiles
• 6 x R-60MK missiles
• 64 x S-5K rockets
• 64 x S-5K rockets
• 4 x S-24 rockets
• 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
• 2 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs

The MiG-21bis-SAU can be outfitted with a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. The R-3S and R-3R missiles are very basic missiles, both pulling a maximum of 10Gs and with very limited range. The R-3S is the IR version, while the R-3R is the SARH (Radar) version. The R-3S has very a negligible use case, as the MiG-21Bis-SAU comes with two R-13M stock. It can be used if the pilot simply wishes for two extra missiles however. The R-3R is more useful for pilots that wish to have the capability to engage enemy air targets at a further range headon, though compared to other SARH missiles of the rank, such as the R-24R or AIM-7F, it lacks the potency to reliably dispatch manoeuvering targets. The next missile carried is the R-13M1, which is the missile carried stock and one of the two recommended for use. It has greater range than the R-60MK, especially at high altitude, though it is a less manoeuvrable missile. The R-60MK is the final missile carried by the MiG-21bis-SAU. It is a highly manoeuvrable, all aspect missile perfect for use in close in dogfights. It lacks the range of contemporary missiles such as the AIM-9G or the previously mentioned R-13M1, however it is highly manueverable and will begin quickly pulling off the rail, hitting most targets within around a 2 km area in front of the aircraft. The recommended loadout for most missions will be either 6 of the R-60MK, or two R-13M and 4 R-60MK using the custom loadout feature to give a mix of ranged weapons and more manoeuvrable, dogfight missiles.

Although the primary focus of the MiG-21bis-SAU is for air combat, it does carry a limited selection of anti-ground ordinance. This includes a selection of 100, 250, and 500 kg bombs, along with the ZB-500 Incendiary bombs. As for rockets, it carries the S-5K and S-24 rockets. If pilots wish to use the MiG-21bis-SAU for ground strike, the S-24 rockets are a good choice as the plane also has CCIP for the rockets.

Custom loadout options

	1	2	3	4
100 kg OFAB-100 bombs		4	4
250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs		1	1
500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs		1	1
ZB-500 incendiary bombs		1	1
S-5K rockets	16	16, 32	16, 32	16
S-24 rockets	1	1	1	1
R-3R missiles	1	1	1	1
R-3S missiles	1	1	1	1
R-13M1 missiles	1	1	1	1
R-60MK missiles	1, 2	1	1	1, 2
Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 570 kg

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Stunning acceleration
• Very good climb rate
• Good high speed manoeuvrability and can make turns at a high angle of attack
• Can wield 6 x R-60MKs
• GSh-23L cannon has 250 rounds (50 more than the MiG-21MF)
• Access to countermeasures and airbrakes

Cons:

• Bleeds speed very quickly
• Bad low speed manoeuvrability
• Rudder lock above 700 km/h can be frustrating when trying to get guns on target
• Doesn't respond well to wing damage
• Can overspeed easy at sea level due to tremendous acceleration.
• Low muzzle velocity for the GSh-23L cannon.

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.