← MiG-21 Mikoyan-Gurevich · Variant 6 of 7

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis "Fishbed-L/N"

The last and most powerful Soviet MiG-21 — the R-25 engine gave it a climb rate close to the new fourth-generation fighters · In service 1972 · Built 1972–1985

The MiG-21bis (izdeliye 75) was the last production MiG-21. Its Tumansky R-25-300 gave 69.6 kN with afterburner and an emergency rating of about 97 kN for two minutes, lifting the climb rate to around 235 m/s with a combat load and giving a thrust-to-weight ratio slightly above 1:1 in emergency power. Internal fuel was reduced to save weight, avionics and the gunsight were improved, and the aircraft was cleared for the R-60 dogfight missile. The Gorky plant built 2,013 between 1972 and 1985.

Finland was the first export customer, from 1977, and India's HAL built 295 under licence; India later upgraded its fleet to the "Bison" standard and retired its last MiG-21s in 2025. Yugoslavia received about 100 bis from 1977, including 45 bisK, and Serbia withdrew the type in 2021.

Croatia acquired about 40 MiG-21s in 1993, of which roughly 20 entered service; eight bis and four UM were upgraded in Romania in 2003–04 as the MiG-21bisD and UMD. Its last four fighters and two trainers were retired in November 2024, ending MiG-21 service in Europe as Croatia moved to the Rafale.