Dr Istvan Toperczer 
MiG-21 “FISHBED” 
Opposing Rolling Thunder 1966 68

Using archival photographs sourced directly from Vietnam, specially commissioned diagrams and combat accounts from veterans, István Toperczer reveals how the Mi G-21 defended Vietnam between 1966 and 1968.



One of the most successful communist jet fighters ever built, the Mi G-21 ‘Fishbed’ was involved in a series of deadly duels with American fighters over North Vietnam as the USAF and US Navy ramped up strike missions during Operation
Rolling Thunder, culminating in the destruction of over 70 US aircraft for the loss of 35 ‘Fishbeds.’



Having honed their skills on the subsonic Mi G-17, pilots of the Vietnam People”s Air Force received their first examples of the legendary Mi G-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile-equipped Mi G-21 proved a deadly opponent for the American crews striking at targets deep into communist territory. Although the communist pilots initially struggled to come to terms with the fighter”s air search radar and weapons systems, the ceaseless cycle of combat operations quickly honed their skills. The best fighter then available to the VPAF, more than 200 Mi G-21s (of various sub-types) were supplied to the North Vietnamese.



In this study, leading VPAF authority István Toperczer analyzes the tactics used by the Mi G-21 pilots over the bitter fighting in North Vietnam during
Rolling Thunder. The highspeed ”hit and run” attacks employed by the communist pilots proved to be very successful, with both R-3S air-to-air missiles and heavy-caliber cannon inflicting a rising toll on American jets. Using first-hand accounts from Mi G-21 pilots, battlescene artwork, combat ribbon diagrams, and armament views, the author details the important role played by the ‘Fishbed’ in the defense of North Vietnam.