I
N MID-DECEMBER 2014 the last of 12
overhauled MiG-21s arrived in Croatia
from the Odessa Aviation Repair Plant
in Ukraine. They then began a series
of test fl ights in order to be cleared for
hand-over to the Croatian Air Force
and Air Defense (Hrvatsko ratno
zrakoplovstvo i protuzračna obrana — HRZ i
PZO). Returning this Soviet-era fi ghter to
operational service has proven to be no easy
task — production of the defi nitive
MiG-21bis version ended four decades ago.
However, by the end of January this year,
post-overhaul test fl ights had been
successfully completed on nine aircraft in
Croatia, allowing HRZ fi ghter pilots to fi nally
begin eagerly-anticipated training activities,
when the winter weather permitted.Buying time
The Croatian Air Force has aspired to the
acquisition of a new fi ghter for decades, but,
given a deep economic crisis, Croatian
politicians have postponed any such
decision until at least 2016.
In an effort to buy some time for the fi nal
decision on its future fi ghter, the Republic of
Croatia, the latest member of the European
Union, decided to overhaul its remaining
seven airworthy MiG-21s and to purchase an
additional fi ve from Ukraine. At the
beginning of July 2013, the Croatian Defense
Ministry and Ukrainian company
UKRSPETSEXPORT signed a €13.9-millioncontract for the overhaul of the seven jets and
the deal for fi ve more to be operated by the
HRZ i PZO. The offer made by the
Odesaviaremservice Aviation Repair Plant
(OARP) in Ukraine was deemed better than
that by Romania’s Aerostar SA in the
international tender.
Aerostar SA upgraded Romanian Air Force
MiG-21M/MF fi ghters to the modern
MiG-21M/MF LanceR standard (in co-
operation with Israel’s Elbit) and also
conducted an overhaul and NATO/ICAO
adaptation for 12 Croatian MiG-21s in 2003.
The operational life of those eight single-
seaters and four two-seaters was thereby
extended for another 10 years. The aim of
this modest update in 2003 was to ensure
that the Soviet-made fi ghter was compatible
in NATO exercises and when fl ying in
civilian-controlled airspace. With additional
Western equipment they were brought to ‘D’
(Doradjen — modifi ed) standard, and
designated by the Croatian Air Force as
MiG-21bisD and MiG-21UMD.
In 2013 the service life of those MiGs
expired and the Croatian Defense Ministry
opted for yet another overhaul. This time the
Croatian Air Force wanted to overhaul the
MiG-21’s small RP-22SMA (‘Jay Bird’) radar,
too, but the Defense Ministry discovered that
Aerostar SA was not certifi ed to do so.
Further improvement of the NATO/ICAO
navigation equipment with some commercial
hardware was also on the wish-list.The fi ve MiG-21bis
fi ghters purchased from
Ukraine were (or, at least some
of them were) ex-Algerian Air
Force airframes that Yemen refused to
accept a few years ago. According to offi cial
Ukrainian data, these airframes were built
between June and August 1976, although, as
some experts point out, they have certain
characteristics of older models. It was
expected that after overhaul the MiG-21s
would have a service life of 850 fl ying hours
or a lifetime of 10 years.Western avionics
The integration of new electronic equipment
in Ukraine was conducted by Czech
company ČLS. Some elements of the
avionics were retained from the earlier
Romanian integration, alongside new
hardware that will improve the effectiveness
of the Croatian MiG-21bisD and MiG-21UMD
jets during NATO operations and instrument
fl ight rules (IFR) fl ying.
The newly-modifi ed fi ghters can be
identifi ed by the large blade aerial on the
upper fuselage behind the cockpit. In 2003
that same communication antenna was
installed aft of the nose gear unit, and the
two-seat trainers retain that aerial location.
Furthermore, a white GPS antenna is now
fi tted on top of the nose.
On November 28, 2013, HRZ test pilot Col
Ivan Selak commenced testing of theDespite the receipt of additional ex-Algerian aircraft and an
avionics upgrade in Ukraine, the Croatian Air Force has struggled
to extend the life of its venerable Soviet-era interceptors.report: Antonio Prlenda
40 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.netINDUSTRY REPORT
40-41 MiG-21 C.indd 40 19/03/2015 10:29