#15, MiG-21: The AK-47 of Fighter Jets
More than 11,000 MiG-21 Fishbeds were built, making it the most-produced supersonic jet fighter in history. It has served with over 60 nations on every continent except Antarctica. From Vietnam to the Middle East to the India-Pakistan wars, the MiG-21 has fought in more conflicts than any other jet aircraft. Like the AK-47 rifle, its genius lies in brutal simplicity, cheap, tough, easy to maintain, and deadly in the right hands.
The Fishbed's delta-wing design gave it excellent climb rate and high-altitude performance in a tiny, lightweight package. Vietnamese pilots used MiG-21s to shoot down F-4 Phantoms and F-105 Thunderchiefs, proving that a smaller, cheaper fighter could compete against much more expensive Western military equipment. India still operates upgraded MiG-21 Bisons, and several nations fly them operationally today, more than 65 years after the type's first flight. In military aviation history, no jet fighter has armed more nations or fought in more wars.
