The Romanian Air Force, or Forţele Aeriene Române, fields a stable of approximately 48 MiG-21 LanceR C fighters, spread across three of the country’s five air bases. The MiGs are pretty ancient aircraft, but until a batch of 12 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons arrives from Portugal later this year and into next, its the best air superiority platform they have.
This video takes us into the cockpit of a MiG-21 during a training flight with another LanceR. It’s a pretty rare look from the cockpit of the LanceR, and we wanted to share it with you. The two jets, assigned to the 71st Air Base at Câmpia Turzii, take off at sunset and enjoy a little follow-the-leader and some cloud surfing before returning after dark.
71st Air Base is the unit hosting Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the United States Air Force’s 355th Fighter Wing, normally stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Exercise Dacian Thunder 2015 is currently underway, and will be until early July when the Warthogs are due to return home.
Two “Red Tail” F-16Cs from the 100 FS of the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187 FW fly in formation with two Romanian MiG-21 LanceR from 71st Air Base during Exercise Dacian Thunder 2012. (Photo courtesy of the 187 FW)
(Featured photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)