The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Bis, one the most sexiest aircraft out here, in my opinion. She's built like an off-brand toy, but she handles like a sharpened pencil thrown through the sky at Mach 1; not very controllable, skinny, and doesn't pack many features, but it's faster than hell when you need it to be. This was my first full fidelity aircraft in DCS (full fidelity meaning most buttons in the cockpit are clickable) and it's definitely a trick to fly. The first thing you have to remember is that the MiG-21 is old. She's a Russian designed Cold War interceptor from the 1960's that was meant to be churned out to every Warsaw Pact satellite nation for a dirt cheap price. You have to treat her with care and know that some systems are lacking because the Soviet ideology is simply quantity over quality. That's why whenever you first try to get the MiG-21 going in DCS, you better be sure to remember that you have to put your radar in standby mode because it's alcohol-cooled (pretty Russian, right?) and it can't be used forever, because eventually, dear Ivan, your radar runs out of alcohol and overheats, causing it to shut off. Speaking of shutting off, be sure to know where your emergency air-start switch is in the 21, because if you get into a high speed maneuver, you'll have a compressor stall and the engine will shut off on you like that. The MiG-21 also lacks nose wheel steering, meaning you have to use your rudder in conjunction with your brakes to steer the MiG-21 towards the runway.

However, how does the MiG-21 fair in combat? Like I said, she's an old bird, but her weapons are Russian, and the Russians know one thing about missile weaponry - maneuverability. The MiG-21's most effective missile on-board is the R-60M, a short-range, high turning all-aspect IR missile that can follow its target to some pretty extreme angles. You can take up to 6 of these puppies with you (2 on the APU-60-2 rails, and 1 on the APU-60-1 rails), but you honestly won't need that many. The MiG-21 also lacks in the radar-guided weaponry department. The MiG-21 only gets one type of air-to-air radar-guided missile, and that's the R-3R. The R-3 in itself is a Russian-copied American AIM-9 Sidewinder, whilst the R-3R is the base of the R-3 with a pointy nose added to it. Not a very effective missile, but there if you think you can take the shot. Or, if you wanna really get manly, you can use the older Russian overweight beam-riding air to air missiles.

The MiG-21 can also carry ground ordnance if you feel lucky, like small bombs like the FAB-500 or the S-5K rockets, or the Kh-66 Grom Air-to-Ground missile, that is guided by the plane's heading input (basically the missile will follow your radar beam), or, if you're feeling really dirty, the MiG-21 (the DCS variant at least) has one more (two if you wanna divide em') ace up its sleeve; nukes. The MiG-21Bis is currently the only DCS aircraft that can carry nukes. It can carry either the RN-24 or the RN-28 nuclear bombs, but good luck finding a server that allows you to do it, most servers ban you instantly for using the MiG-21's nukes, and will strictly enforce these rules to you if you fly the 21.

Lastly, how does the 21 handle in a dogfight? Well, you better be familiar with systems like the MiG-15 or the Sabre, because the MiG-21 doesn't shake up the game that much. She's not much of a dogfighter, as she doesn't turn very well with delta wings. This isn't a design flaw, this is because the MiG-21's intended purpose was to be a bomber interceptor, where dogfighting wasn't much of a priority. I can't give you very many tips on how to dogfight in the 21, but be sure you don't turn too hard (you have an AoA indicator on the far right side of the center "dash" of your cockpit, don't ever let it get into the red if you want to depart level flight) and make use of your afterburner (you also have an emergency afterburner switch as well) in slow-speed engagements, also be sure your weapon's guidance selector is set to IR for IR missiles like the R-3S and the R-60/M, SAR for radar guided missiles, your guns are ready to fire (1 click on the gun prep buttons. There are three of them you only need to press one unless your gun jams, then hit another), and you keep your eyes on your opponent at all times, pop flares and chaff, don't rip your wings, and remember the might of the Soviet Union.