Romania retires MiG-21 LanceR jets
Romania is going ahead with its plans to retire the MiG-21 LanceR jets. The Ministry of Defense officially announced that the Romanian Air Force will ground these aircraft as of Monday, May 15th 2023.
The Mig-21 which entered service with the Romanian Air Force in the 1960s will be retired on May 15th 2023 and replaced with the 32 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft purchased from the Royal Norwegian Air Force (Luftforsvaret). Besides Croatia, Romania is the last NATO operator of the Mig-21 and currently, two air bases, at Campia Turzii and at Borcea are still equipped with the Ageing Migs.
The move is based on a decision of the Supreme National Defense Council to make an "accelerated transition" to F-16s.
Romanian LanceR’s at Ostrava in 2019
Despite being one of the newest MiG-21 fleets in service, the Romanian MiG-21 LanceR fleet was grounded due to difficulties maintaining the aircraft, and since 1996 it has had an accident rate of over 30 per 100,000 hours. Serviceability rates below 50% are not uncommon.
The Romanian Air Force has suffered numerous events in recent years with its arsenal of MiG-21s. On 12 June 2017, a MiG-21 crashed in Constanta County, with Adrian Stancu, the pilot, managing to escape in time. On 7 July 2018, Florin Rotaru died during an airshow in Borcea with some 3,000 attendants while piloting a MiG-21 that suffered technical difficulties, choosing to deflect the plane and die to protect the attendants rather than ejecting himself in time. On 20 April 2021, during a training flight, a MiG-21 crashed in an uninhabited zone in Mures County. The pilot, Andrei Criste, managed to eject safely and survived the crash.
On March 2nd 2022, A MiG-21 LanceR crashed during adverse weather conditions near the village of Gura Dobrogei, Cogealac Commune. On 15 April 2022, the RoAF suspended all MiG-21 LanceR flights due to the high rate of accidents and announced that it planned to speed up the acquisition of the ex-Norwegian F-16s. On 23 May, the LanceRs resumed flights for a period of one year, until 15 May 2023.
RoAF has decided that in 2023 all MiG-21 LanceR aircraft will have their last air policing missions. They will be taken out of permanent combat service and will remain permanently grounded at the 95th Air Base in Bacau.
To mark the aircraft's retirement, ceremonies will be held simultaneously at the 71st "General Emanoil Ionescu" Air Base, Campia Turzii, and the 86th "Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita" Air Base, Borcea, on Monday. At the end of the festivities, the jets will take off for the last time, and fly to 95th Air Base in Bacau, where they will be withdrawn from service.
Starting at 12:00, Air Base 95 in Bacau will also be open to all aviation enthusiasts. Entrance is free and the public will be able to watch the arrival, flypast and landing of the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft taking off from the other two airbases and visit the unit’s museum.
Mig-21 LanceR
The Mig-21s have been flying with the Romanian Air Force for over 60 years, initially, they were in the hundreds some rumours claim that Romania bought about 400 aircraft from the USSR, but after the Revolution, it was decided to equip only 111 aircraft with new NATO-compatible systems.
This is how the LanceR model was born, with aircraft upgraded to this standard gradually becoming part of the Air Force between 1997 and 2002.
There were three versions of the upgraded MiG-21 the LanceR A version optimized for the ground attack being able to deliver precision-guided munitions of eastern and western origin as well as R-60, R-73 and Python III air-to-air missiles. The LanceR B two-seat trainer version and the LanceR C air superiority version featuring 2 LCD MFDs, helmet-mounted sight and the Elta EL/M-2032 Air combat radar.
Gradually, the LanceR A aircraft were withdrawn from service leaving Romania with only 26 LanceR C aircraft out of which at least nine crashed and 14 two-seat LanceR B models of which two were lost in accidents.
Formation of LanceR’s at the Bucharest Airshow 2019
The Official Statement
Statement from the Romanian Air Force;
“On Monday, May 15, the last flights of MiG-21 LanceR aircraft equipped by the Romanian Air Force will take place, they will be removed from service on the basis of the Decision of the Supreme Defense Council of the Country no. 083 of 18.05.2022, for the approval of the Memorandum on "Dismissal of MiG-21 LanceR aircraft and the accelerated transition to operation of F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force".
Thus, on Monday, May 15, starting at 11.00, ceremonies will be held simultaneously in Air Base 71 "General Emanoil Ionescu", Campia Turzii and in Air Base 86 "Local Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita", Borcea, which will end with the take off of the last MiG-21 LanceR aircraft in operation to Air Base 95 "Hero" aviator captain Alexandru vorerbanescu", Bacau, where they will be retired from service.
Starting at 12:00, Air Base 95 "Hero Aviator Captain Alexandru averbanescu" from Bacau, opens its doors for all aviation enthusiasts. Entrance is free and the public will be able to watch the arrival, overpass and landing of the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft taking off from the other two airbases and visit the unit’s museum.
The Romanian Air Force will continue to execute the Permanent Air Police Combat Service with equipped F-16 aircraft, supported by allied aircraft deployed in Romania, within the Enhanced Air Police (enhanced - Air Policing) mission, under NATO command. Ground-based air defense systems will also continue to perform Air Police missions under national command, as well as within the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.”
