CMI_MiG-21F-13_Final_signed.pdf

Hill Aerospace Museum Mikoyan-Gurevich-21F-13 “FISHBED C”

CMI Package

January 2025

Hill Aerospace Museum

Color, Markings, and Insignia Package Mikoyan-

Gurevich MiG-21F-13 FISHBED C

I. Background

The Soviet-made Mikoyan-Gurevich or “MiG”-21F-13 (NATO Name FISHBED) was designed as a supersonic, high-altitude interceptor. North Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) MiG-21s became a serious threat to US air operations during the Vietnam War. USAF F-4 Phantom II crews, escorting F-105

Thunderchief fighter-bombers (both displayed alongside the Hill Aerospace Museum MiG-21) considered the FISHBED a significant threat, although not unbeatable. The NVAF MiG-21s, sometimes flown by other Soviet-aligned nation pilots like Czech, Polish, and North Korean crews, attempted to disrupt US air efforts in North Vietnam using “slash”-type attacks, rather than dogfight.

II. Hill AFB and the MiG-21F-13

Hill Air Force Base only has a slight connection to the MiG-21 through the Utah Test and Training

Range (UTTR) as well as through its established tenant unit the 388th Fighter Wing. MiGs were acquired by the US Air Force to evaluate adversary aircraft strengths and weaknesses as well as train

US pilots in air-air combat to counter the MiG threat in Vietnam. The UTTR was used as additional training airspace in conjunction with the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) north of Las

Vegas. It is also believed that the Museum’s MiG-21 came from a batch supplied to the US Air Force by Indonesia in the late 1970s. For more details, reference MFR in Attachment 1. Furthermore, Hill

Air Force Base’s 388th Fighter Wing, when assigned to Korat AB during the Vietnam War, encountered and combatted MiGs during this Cold War conflict – obtaining several aerial victories.

III. Current Configuration

The aircraft is currently painted to reflect a generic paint scheme of the North Vietnamese Air Force

(NVAF) as used during the Vietnam War. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: MiG-21F-13 of the Hill Aerospace Museum

IV. Proposed Paint Scheme

This aircraft arrived at Hill Air Force Base for display in a natural metal state with the national insignias of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). See Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2: MiG-21F-13, May 1994 (USAF photo via Richard Sawyer)

Figure 3: Museum’s MiG-21F-13 with DPRK national insignias, May 1994 (USAF photo via Richard Sawyer)

V. Proposed Paint Scheme:

The proposed paint scheme of this aircraft will reflect its probable service life prior to US Air Force service, a MiG-21F-13 of the Indonesian Air Force. Accession documents begin only when the aircraft was delivered to the Museum. No written information is available to indicate this aircraft’s service history. Research of the MiG-21F-13 in US Air Force service has revealed that as many as 14 of these MiG-21F-13 aircraft came from a batch that was acquired by the US in the mid-1970s from

Indonesia as part of a trade agreement to supply the Indonesian Air Force with western/US-made equipment (Davis, pg. 48). Interestingly, early photographic images of the Museum’s aircraft reveal residual markings on the fuselage (documented in accession folder) that match the shape and location of the national markings of the Indonesian Air Force. (See Figure 4). This evidence would overwhelmingly indicate that the Museum’s MiG-21F-13 was once assigned to the Indonesian Air

Force.

Overall Base Color: Polished aluminum Gloss Silver (FS17178), see Figure 5.

Ventral Fin: (under tail) will have front portion painted Flat Black (FS37038), see Figure 6.

Fuselage Colors/Markings (Match font/locations on photos):

Nose Number “2118”, Gloss Black (FS17038)

Fuselage Code Letter “F”, Gloss Black (FS17038)

Vertical Stabilizer Markings:

Indonesia Fin Flash Gloss Red (FS11105) over Gloss White (FS17925); each field will be 7 inches tall and 20 inches long, see Figure 6.

National Insignia:

Indonesian Air Force Gloss White (FS17925) with Gloss Red border (FS11105);

pentagon in shape, see Figure 7 for location and dimensions.

Wing Markings:

Indonesia National Insignia

Colors: Gloss White (FS17925) with Gloss Red border

(FS11105); pentagon in shape

Location: Top of each wing, under right wing

Lettering “AURI”: Gloss Black (FS17038); under left wing, see Figure 8.

Servicing, Warning, and Other Markings:

No additional markings are believed to be required at this time. This package will be updated and resubmitted if any changes or additions are made to the current proposed scheme.

Figure 4: Note faint residual markings of Indonesian AF pentagon, letter “F” as well as the tail fin flash in highlighted areas (Annotated USAF photo via Richard Sawyer)

Figure 5: Proposed scheme as seen on Indonesian AF #2164 (© Fred de Ruiter via AirHistory.net)

Figure 6: Ventral fin painting reference (© Peter de Jong via Airliners.net)

Figure 7: Aft fuselage/tail markings (© M Raihan Wicaks via Jetphotos.com)

January 2025

Figure 8: Wing Markings Placement (© Americo Maia)

Aaron C. Clark Date

Director, Hill Aerospace Museum

Hill AFB, UT

R. Ray Ortensie Date Director, History & Heritage Directorate HQ Air Force Materiel Command Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

10 Feb 202510 Feb 2025

Sources

Davies, Steve. Red Eagles, America’s Secret MiGs, (2008), Osprey Publishing.

Hill Aerospace Museum Accession Folder: MiG-21F-13 (Accession #1993-205).

Peck Jr, Gilliard. America’s Secret MiG Squadron, (2012) Osprey Publishing.

Sawyer, Richard. Personal Photo Collection, May 1994.

Defense Intelligence Agency, Have Doughnut Tactical Vol II, FTD-CR-

20-13-69-INT, VOL II, 1 Aug 1969. https://www.avialogs.com/aircraft-m/mikoyan-gurevitch/item/55362-have-doughnut-tactical.

Aircraft Resource Center. MiG-21F-13 Forum. Accessed Jan 2025.

Airhistory.net. Accessed Dec 2024.

Airliners.net. Accessed Nov 2024.

Jet Photos.com. Accessed Dec 2024.

https://www.avialogs.com/aircraft-m/mikoyan-gurevitch/item/55362-have-doughnut-tactical https://www.avialogs.com/aircraft-m/mikoyan-gurevitch/item/55362-have-doughnut-tactical

Attachment 1

8 January 2025

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

FROM: 75 ABW/MU Volunteer Program Manager

SUBJECT: MiG-21F-13 s/n 585 Photographic Evidence of Indonesian Air Force Service

Having been assigned the Colors, Markings, and Insignia Package (CMI) for the MiG-21F-13 (s/n 585) that resides in the collection, I conducted research to determine this airframe’s service history. It was probable that this aircraft was used by the USAF for the CONSTANT PEG adversary program in the 1970s/80s.

However, the service prior to that has never been established by the Museum due to lack of records turned over during its transfer by the National Museum of the US Air Force (NMUSAF) in 1994. CONSTANT

PEG was declassified in November 2006 and several books have been written on this subject.

The most useful book was “Red Eagles: America’s Secret MiGs” by Steve Davies. This author mentions that MiG-21F-13s were acquired by the USAF from Indonesia as early as 1973 (4 airframes) and a second batch in 1976 (10 additional airframes). Additionally, this author specifically mentions “nose numbers” attributed to the second batch of Indonesian MiGs, however our number (“2118”) is not mentioned. It is probable that 2118 is part of the initial 1973 batch of four airframes.

When 2118 (s/n 585) was delivered to Hill AFB in May of 1994, the airframe was photographed by USAFR personnel of the 419 TFW, to include future Museum Volunteer Richard “Buz” Sawyer. Mr. Sawyer provided the original photographs to me for inclusion into the accession folder of the MiG-21F-13. After careful study of these photos, faint “shadows” of previous fuselage markings could be discerned. These shadow markings match shape and location of Indonesian MiG-21 markings as seen on display at the

National Indonesian Air Force Museum.

Therefore, we assess that this MiG-21F-13 originated in Indonesia and was part of the initial 4 airframes provided to the CONSTANT PEG Program. Further research will be conducted as time permits to add to this history.

PHILIP E. BUTLER, CIV, GS-11