MiG under cover The MiG-21MF on display was made in the Soviet Union in 1974; serial number: 969512. This fighter plane was housed in an above ground, concrete reinforced bunker that protected it against shrapnel from bombs and shelling attacks. The main attributes of the MiG-21 The MiG-21 fighter plane was developed in the second half of the 1950s in the Soviet Union in the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau. The single-seated, short range fixed wing plane is made entirely of metal. It has a half-shell structure and delta wings. It has a gas turbine jet engine, afterburner, retractable gears, hermetically sealed cabin and an ejector seat. Delta wings instead of swept wings After the MiG-19, the MiG office stopped developing swept wing planes and sought a different direction in design. The prototype of the 21 was equipped with new, revolutionary delta wings. Test flights began in 1956 and shortly after they succeeded in exceeding twice the speed of sound. It was a remarkably popular model Over time the MiG-21 became the primary fighter plane for the members of the Warsaw Pact. Over 28 years of manufacturing, 30 subtypes were developed that served in 48 countries. Versions outside the Soviet Union were made in Czechoslovakia, China and India. The MiG-21 was the most produced gas turbine jet-propelled fighter plane in the world.