The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames include: “Balalaika”, because its planform resembles the stringed musical instrument of the same name; “Ołówek”, which is Polish for “pencil”, due to the shape of its fuselage, [2] and “Én Bạc”, which means “silver swallow”, in Vietnamese.
Approximately 60 countries on four continents have used the MiG-21, and seven decades after its first flight, it remains in service with many nations. It set aviation records, becoming the longest-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the longest-produced fighter aircraft since the Korean War, and, previously, the longest-produced fighter aircraft.
