This is a plane that crashed today; It was the only active MiG-21 in the Serbian Army

This is a plane that crashed today; It was the only active MiG-21 in the Serbian Army

According to Tango Six, it is a MiG-21 military plane, i.e. a two-seater MiG-21UM from the Serbian Air Force and Air Defense.

It is the only MiG-21 that was active in the Serbian Army, a two-seater (registration number 16185), which underwent the last overhaul in 2016 and which was the youngest MiG-21 purchased in December 1986.

After the overhaul, MiG-21 received approval to fly until 2026, and after the overhaul, it was grounded in 2018 to start flying again at the beginning of May this year. In the period from 1962 to 1986, Yugoslavia procured 261 MiG-21 aircraft in several tranches for its army. In its fifty-eight-year history of use, the MiG-21 flew in nine different variants in the Yugoslav and Serbian skies, i.e. in three generations. A total of 41 MiG-21 F-13s, 36 PFM versions, 12 reconnaissance versions R, 25 versions M, six versions MF, and 91 aircraft in the most advanced version Bis were procured, according to Beta.

For the needs of flight crew training, two-seater of the first, second and third generations were procured, i.e. 18 MiG-21 U planes, seven MiG-21 US and 25 MiG-21 UM, the last of which crashed today. For a short time, a dozen Iraqi Air Force MiG-21 planes were used in the JRV, which arrived in Yugoslavia for repairs in the late 1980s and which were never delivered to the owner due to the war in both countries.

 B92.net, with the permission of the Tango Six portal, publishes photos of the plane that crashed today.