Russian Newspaper: Vietnam will Turn MiG-21 Fighter Jet into UAV

23 Oktober 2020

Study to convert into UAV still in progress in VPAF (photo : VietDefense)

"Veteran" of the Vietnam War - will the MiG-21 light interceptor return to service as a drone?

Russian media believe that the legendary MiG-21s of the Vietnamese Air Force that fought with US aircraft decades ago will return to the sky, but in the form of unmanned aircraft (UAVs).

Currently studies have been done regarding the precise take-off of the drone. Converting these old interceptors into UAVs could be of great benefit to the Vietnam Air Force, the source noted. 

These converted UAVs, for example, will target the S-300 air defense systems during drills, or they will take on something else, like a ground attack cruise missile.

In addition to the UAV function as mentioned above, one of the options that has been adopted by many countries is to turn them into ground attack cruise missiles, due to the complete fighter aerodynamic structure. full compliance with the requirements of the strike missions.

If used on a large scale, these converted UAVs, while not as unlikely to fly as low as real cruise missiles, would be a nightmare for any air defense system.

(BaoDatViet)