Yugoslavia - MiG-21MF Fishbed-J (LORAP)

DB Selector

DB3K

DBID to Copy

2333 MiG-21MF Fishbed J

Hypothetical

Name

MiG-21MF Fishbed J (L-15M) -- Yugoslavia [-1992] (Air Force), 1984-1992, KA-112A LORAP

Country

Yugoslavia

Service

Air Force

In Commission

1984-1992

Sensors

remove Jay Bird radar

Mounts

remove Gsh-23L remove all weapons from aircraft stores remove 800 liter Drop Tank

Loadout Options

remove all armed loadouts

add unarmed recon loadout: -1x KA-112A LORAP Recon Pod [1800mm Long-Range] -2x 490 liter Drop Tank

Other Changes

updated: Actually the MiG-21MF which exists in DB3K for Yugoslavia should be replaced/updated into this version if possible. All MiG-21MFs were modified to carry LORAP recon pods in 1984. L-15M was the designation of the Yugoslav Air Force for this aircraft, the M stands for modified.

Sources

Source : Dimitrijevic, Bojan. 2020. SILVER BIRDS over the ESTUARY : The Mig-21 in Yugoslav and Serbian Air Force Service, 1962-2019.:

The converted MiG-21MFs were known as L-15M (modified) rather than L-15i (izvidjač, reconnaissance). They were stripped of radar and guns to enable better usage of the LORAP and to maintain proper flyability. A total of four MiG-21MFs (Nos. 22865 – 22868) were converted to LORAP carriers, while the L-14i continued to be used as platforms for Soviet reconnaissance pods. On 1 August 1984, a photographic laboratory was set-up in the underground facility at Bihać and, finally, the system became operational. Officially it was known as the “L” container and in the beginning of its usage only four pilots were converted to fly the LORAP-equipped MiGs, later expanding this number to most of the pilots in No. 352 Squadron. This system marked a significant step in equipping the Yugoslav aerial reconnaissance and it was used for wide and slope photography of the territories of the neighbouring countries. The camera did not have a horizontal limit and it could take images up to the end of the horizon. In practice, taken at an altitude of 10,000 metres it could cover up to some 110 kilometres of territory of Yugoslavia’s neighbours. In practice however, weather conditions limited the effective usage of LORAP to some 50-60 kilometres.

PygmalionOfCyprus / cmo-db-requests