@@sebastianwendl603 if you use the video I think you can just put in the video and then all of the citations for the video that are in the description, some profs would take it but I'm sure most every hs teacher would
@@sebastianwendl603 even in academic settings, its acceptable to cite YT videos. You just have to satisfy the reader that you've done additional research and verified the quality of the channel. It might raise eyebrows but it can be done Source: I've used YT videos as accessory sources for 14th year assignments and received high marks
Having spent over 20 years as a pre-flight and in-flight weather specialist in the federal aviation administration in the United States, I can state professionally that one of the most lethal hazards to all pipes of aircraft is icing. I worked primarily with general and corporate aviation, and at one facility also had a medevac guard unit with UH-1's. I spent about half my career in areas of higher terrain. When you have mixtures of rain and snow, and inversions where you have warm air above cold air, you can have super cooled droplets of water that as soon as they strike any hard service instantly freeze in a smooth very difficult to remove layer. If the rate of accumulation is high enough, severe clear icing as it is professionally called, is a threat to even aircraft with state of the art deicing equipment. Even the big boys (air carriers) are prohibited from flying into those conditions if they are known to exist. Icing is a killer. Helicopters get a trifecta. If the ice sticks to the edge of the rotor blade (which is where it typically impacts) It produces turbulent airflow because it changes the profile. So you get less lift. You also get less power, as the rotor blade becomes less efficient. At the same time the aircraft is rapidly gaining weight, as you are coated in ice. In fact the auto rotating feature of a helicopter rotor isn't going to work very well if it's iced, because it's no longer as aerodynamic and is not providing lift. To put this more simply, aircraft go crunch. For the fighter aircraft, if you have a laminar flow wing, your typical high speed low drag thin profile, again it is hypersensitive to ice. Even the best hot wings (exhaust channeled into the leading edge of the wings to make it too warm to ice) can be overwhelmed by rapid clear icing. Losing both aircraft in the same area close to each other can be consistent with extremely hazardous icing conditions. While I would think that could also be true of enemy fire, either a SAM system or a couple of hostile aircraft, those are going to leave a very different signature than your typical weather related accident. There of course is the all risk created by fog and low line clouds, that one of our medevac chopper pilots unaffectionately called cumulo-granite. We'd just buried a civilian medevac crew due to that. While I can thankfully say so far as I know I was never involved in contributing to a weather-related fatality, I have had to sign both recorded phone line and radio transcripts of communications with pilots who chose to ignore warnings and discovered mother nature is not to be trifled with. People forget that because they are flying in or near a war zone, military pilots often do not have the luxury of staying on the ground like civilian pilots. They are just as dead whether a missile or airframe icing claw their airplane from the sky. May their families find peace.
@@whakatu4life285 Don't know, but in the US if an aircraft reports severe icing that is automatically an emergency. Ironically impacting terrain in extremely limited visibility situations kills more pilots in the US than any other single cause. I helped give weather safety seminars at some of our local pilot meetings. One of the things that was drummed into us for our dealing with aircraft encountering hazardous in-flight conditions, was that if conditions are getting worse try to get them to TURN AROUND in most cases. They've actually tested it, and talked about it to pilots who survived weather related crashes, and there is the human mindset that if I'm just 50 miles from the airport (10-20 minutes roughly) well I'm almost there and I'll just go take a look. If the weather is getting worse, and in another 50 miles it's going to get worse enough to kill you. I cannot remember how many times they covered that in our refresher training. I had a funny experience with the military medevac chief pilot, who had been deployed in first Iraq and had probably been flying choppers longer than I had been alive. He would always tell me we can set down in a field. I had been watching the weather one day, and he was flying down to my previous station going into the mountains of West Virginia. I read him the weather, you had low IFR that had already worked its way up to Central West Virginia. I showed him what it was doing, and he said I'll go down and take a look. I told him that weather of indefinite ceiling zero visibility one quarter of a mile in heavy snow wasn't safe for anything. The next morning I was at work with about a foot of snow outside ( was also a weather observer so snow depth was a very important factor when I had to go outside every hour), and he comes up to the counter for a weather briefing. As I started to fill out the flight plan info, I double checked that he was departing from our airport, and he looked at me and said no I have to drive down to Southern West Virginia and pick up the helicopter from the middle of a field. I'm bringing it back. We had to set down when we ran into that weather. I just looked at him, smiled, and continued the briefing. From then on when I told him the weather was going to be too low for helicopters, he actually listened. I also had a whole batch of his junior guard pilots that he would send over to get briefings from me. The only ones we lost were in Iraq because the old UH1's evidently had problems with blowing sand, or maybe it is just older engines with a lot of wear and then sand on top of it. They had to fly in blowing sand conditions to medevac severely injured soldiers. People forget that besides people shooting at you and things going boom, there are all kinds of nasty accidents that can occur in a war zone. Especially when you're really tired and short on time and that short cut leads to a mangled arm or leg. The Guard (older equipment) medevac units actually had one of the highest casualty rates in 1st Iraq.
From your insight which is very technical and practical, don't you think Russia adversary of specialising in ground weapons is cost effective and accurate for that matter, ground I mean artillery from sea, land and anti aircraft, in modern war against serious militaries airforce seems costly and risky to invest, sometimes I think its reason Biden refused NATO to wage war on Russia, American might is airforce, but Russia seems to fix the situation from ground, well have no idea but to say your story was educative.
The idea that even an inexperienced missile crew could confuse a helicopter with a top speed of less tan 200MPH for an attacking jet or cruise missile seems less than credible. Fantastic video as always.
the crashes took place at a great distance inside the Romanian territory, it is very certain that the S300 has no range to attack there and anyway the aircraft were tracked by the Romanian radar and could have seen possible Ukrainian missiles the truth is that it was very bad weather then and this is probably the main cause
@@idontcare2851 It's a 75 year old jet that crashed well within Romanian borders. Look at a map, there's no way they would have missile defenses setup at a Nato border scanning their air space. What would be the point of that?
@@idontcare2851 During harsh weather. Mig-21's are old aircraft, and Romanian LanceR's have crashed before. Combine that with the helicopter being recalled due to poor weather, it's not hard to believe. Anyway, Russia has the larger issue with mistaken identity, after all, they confused a Boeing airliner as a turboprop military transport and shot it down over Ukraine in 2014.
It was the S-300 system which destroyed a Russian recon aircraft over Syria . The cover story was , it was inexperienced Syrian soldiers who made the mistake and not Russian crews. A moot point at the time .
As a romanian I can assure you, there is nothing mysterious about these crashes. Its because we still use equipement from the Korean War in 2022. They have been constantly crashing in the last 30 years, even in the 90s. Its a national embarassment. The only mystery is why we still use such antiquated equipement.
@@mandowarrior123 Its not between that or nothing. We were so corrupt before we entered the EU and still are but not as much, that individual bribes in the 90s could've equivalated had they been used to something productive to a whole new fleet of aircraft, either mig 29s at least or f-16s. We got a bunch of second hand f16, and will get in the years to come f35s but its only now that we do something about it. We also have horrible tanks really, we operate some romanian made variant of the t55 chassis instead of getting at least some Leopards or M1A3s like the poles are doing-and there is nothing concrete that we will in the near future. Most of what the army's main purpose here is paying salaries and pensions, defending the country probably comes a distant 3rd or 4th place.
Well I suppose the problem is not owningthe aircraft itself, but rather owning a logistic chain to maintain it. That involve the staff capable of fixing it, in some cases even having enough long runways needed for other type of planes, owning enough parts etc... The price of the aircraft is one thing, the price of keeping it up there is another thing...
I love that you are reporting it factually as it is happening, the utmost respect to you Dr. Felton, I feel as though you're one of the few golden age styled journalists / historians to date!
Both were accidents according to the Romanian Ministry of Deffence. You can find info on their website but in Romanian. The aircraft had probably engine faliure after take off, the rescue helicopter had problem with ice that blocked the airflow in the engine. The weather was bad for flying.
@@leonidjoseph5483 if you check the airport and the crash site just in this video then it is obvious to me that the accident should have happened after take off… this video is a bit of conspiracy and Russians also use desinformation like the brits and americans in this (and other) war conflict very much. This video is based on Russian claims that Ukrainians did a mistake. I think the Ukrainians know 1. where are the airports in Romania, 2. which direction the Russians are operating, 3. Russians would never use airspace of a Nato country for attacking UA in order to avoid direct conflict with Nato air deffence (German and other Nato fighters have been deployed to Romania). & do not underestimate the weather and mother nature. But you can believe what you like (wmd in Iraq for example ;))
@Grim FPV it is a domestic embarrassment, what else can it be? you can't hide an attack like that no matter how hard you try, not in this region and not in these days...corruption kills, these aircrafts should have been scrapped more than two decades ago
Even just RUclips but his and several other RUclips people that focus on history and this is history unfolding in front of our eyes are something those of use that grew up before the internet only dreamed of.
These used to be a common occurrence in the 90s, so much so that Romanian mig 21s were called "plows". Nowadays these mig 21s have been modernised like two decades ago and I guess are better maintained but still these airplanes are old. I think this was mostly an unfortunate accident also made more likely by the bad weather.
MiG-21 is dropping for seconds, if the engine goes off. I was servicing the container with spy cameras on the belly of the MiG-21R (reconnaissance) in the 70's. The airplanes were stationed at the airfield Tolbukhin (today Dobrich) in the North Eastern Bulgaria. For just 6 months we had 2 accidents with 2 airplanes lost. Thank God the pilots ejected and there were no injuries. This airplane was notorious with it's inability to glide in the air. It's delta form wings does not bring big air support. The pilots were only relying on the powerful engine. But the problem was that there were too many accidents with engines switching off. Once this happen it was very difficult to turn on the engine again in the air. I heard from a technician in our regimen that MiG-21 is constructed with very weak power block. It looks that the latest generations got this problem solved. But the earlier versions needed a battery station on a truck to start it's engines before lift off. Over all there were too many fatal incidents in the Bulgarian Air Force during the communist dictatorship were very often. The accident happen not only with MiG-21, but also with MiG-19 and MiG-17. The record of the Soviet made airplanes was very bad. I was doing pictures of the graduating pilots, who learned to fly at the Air Force Academy near Dolna Mitropolia, Pleven district. After years of service the guys were coming back for commemorating gatherings at the Academy and it was a sad picture to see that many graduates lost their life.
Thank you for telling the Truth about these flying coffins. The early delta wing aircraft in the U.S. Air Force were called "widow-makers" for this very reason. This was clearly a weather-related accident, not so-called "friendly fire" by the Ukrainians.
@@Travasaurusrex The investigation is still not complete, yet you make assumptions? For all we know it may been pilot error. To make assumptions without knowing the truth, is what a clown does, a gentleman, awaits for all facts to gather together before making any form of assumption, a plane was lost, thats the truth, why it was lost, we do not know yet and may never know.
As someone interested in fighter aircraft generally, I had no idea of these shortcomings of the mig21. I had always just heard how tough and gritty it was and could be stored outside etc as opposed to our seemingly "delicate" planes in the West (Canada) this is interesting stuff! Thanks!
@@SMGJohn We romanians are used to migs falling down , pilot error or bird ingestion , tech malfunction whatever , these are unforgivable airframes . No need for a S300 to fire randomly opposite to the front line .
A Romanian RUclipsr I watch who worked indirectly with people like the helicopter crew said that Romanian military pilots are known for being pretty unsafe in their flying and take a lot of dangerous risks that other countries don’t and so he wasn’t surprised at all that these aircraft crashed
Thanks let me know about Romania air force because i been misunderstood about news when country mistakenly shot or enemy shoot, trespassing another country
@@kampar82 except for killing 2 tabletop series I was enjoying in a row. (Sargons DnD by splitting up the party and quitting and Arch Warhammers nazi vampires by starting his own generic lame game)
Even if I find a video from Mark that isn't really my thing i still come in and watch it and hit the like because he really does his research and is 100000% more credible then any other news/yt videos... Mark you do a great job keep up the good work! 😁
If Mark had a whole team producing this much content, it would still be impressive. If there was a Mark Felton University, I would want to study there.
Croatian MiG-21 also had number of accidents with some losses during the year. Each of existing airframes is decades old and they are not low-stress transports but fast and agile interceptors.
This is fake news. Last incidents with Croatian Mig's was in 2014. No casualties. However Serbia lost one of it's training Mig21 in Sept. Of 2020 with both pilots killed. Somebody from our area interested in flying should be well aware of that.
If the DCS simulator is anything like the real plane, a Mig 21 can be pretty unforgiving of mistakes. Apparently DCS is quite close to the real thing so it’s not like someone playing CoD. Milsim software based on DCS is used to train pilots in various airforces so I assume it must be relatively accurate.
@Mark Felton, Unfortunately, the history of MiGs in Romania is riddled with accidents. Since 1994 and until this year, 19 such planes have crashed, the price paid being the life of 11 pilots. Currently, the Romanian army still has 35 MiGs in the hangars, of which 18 are operational.
yeah, right. what happened to the chopper then? and both within a 30-minute window. doesn't take a genius to conclude that they were both shot down by the 1-million or so javelins, nlaws, and stingers that have been flooding the Nazis there since 2013. yes you read that right, 2013.
I love Dr Felton's comment sections. Always good insight from people from all walks of life and everyone is super respectful and interesting. Good content brings good conversation
The first mig-21 flew in 1956, it was officially introduced to militaries in 1959. The last one ever build left the factory in 1981. Theoretically the plane could be 63 years old, with a minimum age of 41 years. Antiques break down, that's a given.
And yet so many commenters are quick to believe Russia and blame Ukraine, even with literally zero evidence and everyone else, including the people who lost the aircraft, disputing it.
Nah don't be ashamed, these things happen. It is just an unfortunate coincidence that these accidents happened and took their crew with them. May they rest in peace.
@KN Nk Hmmm, Given the choice between the respectable Dr. Felton and what he has presented compared to the "Caps Lock" statement made by an account created 3 days ago with nothing to substantiate said statement. lol
@KN Nk Ok, do this in parts for simplicity. #1 No, I'm simply observant and suffer from blunt honesty. #2 Was unaware of vision problem, apologies. #3 If you have to create new accounts because they are being banned or blocked.... well, that's usually for a reason. #4 The "Dr." is the narrator of the video and info is in the description section above comments. #5 I did pay attention to the materials, it's why I watched the video in the first place and the color of the comment in caps was quite disingenuous. Lastly #6 Not sure what you mean by ID? I Got ID was a "95 Pearl Jam song.... little clarification on that one.🙈🙉🙊
Excellent reporting by Mark, as usual. Pity we can't get this kind of in-depth coverage from cable news networks, most of which usually dabble in political discourse - not news.
When Mark is giving accounts of historical events and you realise they are not 60 or 70 years ago but just in the current year, it is really a mind numbing and mind blowing. Seeing current wrecks in moving pictures and in color rams home the reality of the past wars and see past the black and white pictures.
Amazing how the Mig21 is still flying today… such an old piece of tech so outdated and outclassed by modern fighters and anti air yet still so beautiful in my opinion
When I first saw the title, I thought NATO was gonna join the war due to the air loss and the world would get fucked up even harder than it already is.
Great, great work! I wish you were in charge of news agencies here in the US. You give accurate information, context, and statements from all sides without skewing it to a given political ideology. Absolutely fabulous work!
Im sorry. Rest in peace to these Romanian servicemembers. I dont think poorly of Romanians. Hopefully Romania will be getting Western replacements. F-16 and UH-60 platforms come with tons of support. Tons of parts. Easy to fly. Safe. Highly developed and refined platforms Btw One of my favorite RUclipsrs, Ludi Et Historia is a Romanian strategy gamer. Dunno if you've seen him but he talked about this topic once on stream. He didn't bash them but I didn't realize this was something notorious about the Romanian Air Force.
Which is ironic because it was all over Russian media speculating why it crashed, and I also clearly remembering reading about it in western media which said the Russians shot it down, this is why its best to take everything with a grain of salt, neither side speaks a damn spek of truth.
@@dylanholven6375 yes, I'll give you that. They answer the question: If you took one of the engines from a blackbird, stick wings on the side and a seat on top, what does it look like? The A10 is a gun with wings. The Mig 21 is an engine with wings. The problem with having a single engine is if it stops you can have a big problem. A twin engine plane can get home with one engine and be repaired.
I worked at a Libyan airbase , it was full of mil 8 amphibious and land and mig 21s. The ground crews would come along and blitz a mil 8 or a mig 21 and then get it flying in about a week. When they released the rotor brake on the mil 8 we would all get away from the windows, also it was a heli with opening windows, quite unusual.
What a lot of people are unaware of, is that Israeli Aviation Industries have been updating Eastern European MiG 21s for the last decade, and the changes include glass cockpits, and modern avionics . They light years ahead of the sixties versions of MiG 21.
@@gimmethegepgun "Glass cockpit" means a cockpit that uses lots of video displays and modern electronics as opposed to an old school cockpit using all analog dial instruments. Look up a photo of a Boeing 747 cockpit from 1970s vs. a 747 from recent years to see the difference. It's common to upgrade old aircraft with glass cockpits if they remain in service long enough.
Thank you for creating a video with this subject, Mark Felton. Things not well known outside Romania: 1. The weather was bad, but not unusually bad. When people from Romania questioned the weather, the official explanation drifted toward "technical problems". 2. In regard to the incident when Romanian Air Force lost one fighter jet and one military helicopter in less than one hour: The pilot of the jet fighter had more than 500 hours of flight. The pilot of the military helicopter had more than 1500 hours of flight. They were not beginners! Blaming human errors is possible, but for two separate cases, with the experience of these pilots, does not stand. - - - The Snake Island, only 32 km / 20 miles from Romanian shore (and a former belonging of Romania), was occupied by the Russians from the beginning of the conflict and they took it from Ukraine. I would not be surprised for the Russians to try something experimental, like electronic jamming or you name it. - - - Even though the loss of the helicopter and fighter jet were "accidents" + "because weather" + "technical problems", in that evening, or in the next day, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, came in person to Bucharest in an unexpected visit, to talk with the Romanian government! In the day of the "accident", or the following day, France pledged to send their only aircraft carrier to the Black Sea, near the Romanian shore. Quite unusual events for "accidents" + "because weather" + "technical problems". - - - Conclusion: IF the Romanian fighter jet and the helicopter went down because of the Russians, NATO did not want to publicly acknowledge that, because it would have forced them into action.
And the last thing that NATO wants is to confront Putin! What the f..k is the point of NATO if it is not prepared to confront the Madman and defend its borders. Puking wants to destroy NATO to give him the freedom to invade other countries - Poland next, Romania, and onward to BERLIN. Come on NATO step up and do your job! FFS.
Another conspiracy theory fan, drawing conclusions out of nothing and/or lies. No foreign aircraft carrier can enter the Black Sea (Montreux convention); France pledged nothing related to such. Von der Leyen went all over Eastern Europe those days.
@Grim FPV I think it’s because of how we “western populations” have become complacent and we’re just realizing how our governments have lied to us in situations just to benefit themselves, I’m not excusing Russia from any responsibility from invading Ukraine but the western world has done its fair share of crimes that no one brings to light until it’s so old nothing can be done about it to bring justice, sorry for going on a tangent :)
@Grim FPV Oh, yeah... just like what they said about the Lancers being shot down by Ukraine. Very honest... get a f*cking life. Everyone in Romania knows it's airforce is old and prone to crashes. There were so many crashes of MiG 21 in the past 20 years in Romania, it's really not news anymore.
Thank you for an excellent video and for such professional coverage. It's such a change to hear you describing current events. Thank you for such hard work and thorough research. Respect.
Brilliant video yet again, sir. As a Bangladeshi kid in his teenage, this is treasure for me. Guys around me smoke weed while I watch you. Thank you again for entertaining me and encouraging me about history. Love.
@@bigzed7908 nothing from those migs are what used to be when the airplane was crafter ... it was modernized by israel and 90% of the parts inside changed ... very good radar but still old planes indeed ... they only a few left ...
@@bigzed7908 I think most of those in the West would be alarmed at one of these “vintage” aircraft flying over our heads. They are nevertheless very robustly built (over built), and parts are available in an abundance. Still…
@@mattteee2973 LOL - give them time! My point is, if we didn't have nutters like Putin trying to rule the world, then we wouldn't be putting people's lives at risk by NEEDING(?) to fly aircraft in such poor weather - just to maintain a listening watch.
Just in-case you missed it... The Ukrainian aircraft departing Romania saluted with their aircraft after take off... Meaning all were happy and friendly ;)
I am using the videos in my classroom as much as I can! I am a huge fan of Dr. Felton and his tell it as it is and the truth is the best way to show and tell the historical reference to a event.
The fact those mig's 21 are still flying is a miracle indeed, in Poland we called them flying coffins... I think it's mostly the fault of very exploited old design of the planes, that were even 15 yers ago regarded as very malfunctioning planes.
It's a miracle that these "Balalaikas" are still flying, 63 years later, and a testament to their legendary durability. You can't smear that plane due to its performance well beyond its recommended shelf life!
those old coffins with wings won't fly for very long. they'll either get shot down with ease, or fall from the sky on their own with inexperienced romanian pilot.
@@driver4011 Idk about that it's not like they are getting parts from Russia no more is it? Mig 21's have been obsolete for a loooong time, Russia doesn't seem to have any inventory of the planes so getting replacement parts is about as likely as surviving in space with no space suite.
@@Dazzxp india still flies them and they also call them flying coffins. I hear all the electronics have been modernized though and are far from obsolete. This plane is so common it must have spare parts everywhere and they are not complicated.
Another great video. Could you do a series on WW1? The intracies and details of how everyone was related at that time in Europe. The Czar and King George were first cousins, etc, the change of the name to Windsor. Most have no idea how involved families were at that time. The battles and loss of life were incredible. Thank you Dr Felton
It was claimed that there was a great deal of friendship through the Royal families. But the UK did not rescue the Tzar and his family. It was also claimed in summer 1914 that countries with such close economic ties would always be at peace with each other. Oh yes, whose daughter married into the German Royal family?
A sad double tragedy for these two sets of aviators no matter what the causes of their crashes. Condolences to their Families! Thank you for making these tragedies known to everyone who might see this presentation - the truth of present day history must be known for us to know what is happening on our World.
The truth will not be reported accurately during war time in The West as long as the Western media is under government control - unless the truth happens to coincide with the MSM/government agenda.
I see one off these perform at RIAT 2019...I feel lucky to have seen it do so considering its one off those Cold War classics that are now becoming very rare.
my father in law is a former helicopter pilot (who actually flew the helicopter that crashed) many years ago. his brother was a Mig 21 Lancer pilot, he catapulted about 20 yrs ago and survived. Both the helicopter and the plane were around 50 yrs old. The reason why they both crashed on the same evening was that the weather was really bad. Pundits and countries alike then tried to exploit the incident to their advantage. The truth is we need new aircraft desperately as what we have is extremely old which is we are buying Norwegian F-16s, that are also old unfortunately.
Mig-21 Lancer, the flying coffin. It belongs in a museum, not in the active service. Shame on politicians for not allowing a renewal of the air fleet for all these years. The pilots pay this with their lives.
Again Dr. Felton teaches us so much about Ukraine's air operations, hopefully they will learn what actually took place and I'm hoping it wasn't friendly fire. Thanks
Romania is the poorest failed state in Europe (same as Ukraine is). And Romanian old planes and helicopters are falling down like dead flies from the sky, because of lack of money, maintenance and spare parts by Romanian government. And you should relax old man. Nobody will fight WW3 and nuclear war because of Ukraine or Romania.
Hehe , because we joined and had a lot of soviet made military... it is kinda laugh/cry situation. In 2004 when we joined, me and my friends where talking about now it is time to change our military to a modern/west standard, and ditch the rusky ones... and... we still have them today... I swear that our Romanian politicians are not bad, they are a disaster!!! Sorry for any typos but it is late and I am not that young anymore...
Informative as always Dr. Felton. At some point, I hope people stop referring to things said on "social media". That is like saying "word on the street", or "rumor has it". It's interesting that the inept and compromised main stream media, have resorted to reporting on what is said on Facebook and Twitter. Thank goodness people like yourself are providing accurate information. Stay well Sir.
These planes have been falling from the skies a lot. Just from 1994-2017 around 19 planes crashed due to malfunctions. They are commonly known as flying coffins :(((
That's not even one per year, sadly, a lot of countries lose that amount. Whilst in a different context, soon after WW2, in Britain IN ONE YEAR - around 5000 trainees & aircrew lost their lives in flying accidents as the Cold War had started & the air force was still large.
@@legokingtm9462 there were ice particles that deposited on the propellers of the helicopter (as well as on the wings of the plane!), the helicopter pilot reported the bad weather and was approved to return to base
@@MrQ454 Is that what they told you on TV? Pilots are briefed on weather conditions before they even take off. Icing is a big part of that brief. The chopper crew may have chanced it and they may have succumbed to CFIT or ice.
As a Romanian too, I am sure we will blame anybody but our own people. For the others, we have a joke here in Romania, about these aircrafts: They are very good for plowing the field. The Army of Romania was not better than the Russian Army today: full of incompetence and corruption. Those planes are from that age...
Aircraft Engineer Here, I studied the MIG 21 and all its systems at university, and maybe I can make a bit of light on the sudden and "unexpected" crash of the MIG 21. From all the pilots I asked and from my technician colleagues with more than 20 years of experience on the MIG 21 and the IAR 330. The cause of the problem was ice forming on the cone of the MIG 21. The MIG 21 was not designed with an anti-icing system for the cone and at the time of the accident as mentioned in the video, the weather was cold, and moist with a very low cloud ceiling. The MIG can only fly in those conditions Supersonic as the air friction at supersonic speeds is enough to keep the cone ice-free. Those aircraft were flying sub sonic and in those conditions ice formed on the cone which made the cone unresponsive to the different flight regimes and the engine stopped as it did not have enough air to sustain combustion. Regarding the IAR 330 puma, the story is similar as the rotor blades were not designed with anti-icing in mind as it was built in 1975. Ice formed on the leading edge of the rotor blades and caused a terrible crash. The truth is that neither aircraft should have left the base that day with that flight plan and in those conditions. Hopefully, I made a bit of light on this accident.
I never said they the aircraft does not have an anti icing system I said that the intake cone does not have an anti icing system. The intake cone works like a Venturi tube to regulate the air pressure getting into the engine and it’s being controlled only by 2 static pressure sensors (IDO D1 & IDO D2 if I remember correctly). It’s simple ice just formed on the cone or the mechanism that moves the cone and it starved the engine of oxygen it happened with other MIGs as well. The phenomenon is not common as the air moving around the cone crates enough heat especially when supersonic. There are also the little flappers in the intake area witch also are supposed to regulate the pressure in case the airflow is to turbulent.
Brilliant video as usual Mark. It’s very interesting what happen in this tragic accident. Keep up the great work, your videos are really well put together and very professional. Thank you
Thanks. A wild conspiracy theory driven friend of mine told me about this (to some level of accuracy) but I could find nothing in mainstream media. So, your report means an apology from me to him and an updated level of accuracy of the story as a qualification. Appreciate this one especially Dr F.
Uou don't owe your friend any apology because the Mig-21 and Puma weren't downed by the Ukrainians, despite what some commenters above seem to want to imply.
True. But RoAF is getting the first batch of a total of 32 F-16s from RNoAF this year or next one. That is when these MiGs will (finally) be put in storage.
Honestly, in Romania, those MiGs are a running joke with them crashing. Literally whenever we see one flying we wonder if it will crash. Their replacement can not come soon enough.
Yeah Polish Air Force replaced the MiG-21 with F-16 completely in 2003. Cannot imagine using them till now.... like we have technical issues with the MiG-29s that were made in 1986 and we are waiting for F-35s to replace those in few years from now (up until 2024 or 2025). MiG-21 that were used in Poland were made in late 1960s and early 1970s. Idk how old Romania’s ones are but I think they are at least 45 years old. That’s way too much.
@@MrJacksonBollock respect to you sir for saying as much. To err is human. I agree with you that the footage seems to show a 25 or more likely a 31. A beautiful airframe, I've long admired both. Actually, looking again because it would be so unlikely for either plane to be in theatre, I wonder if it is indeed a su27 but distorted due to the crash damage? 🤔 It's a strange photo, no markings/ numbers? I'm not sure but it appears that there might be the "stinger" detached at the rear? I'm more dubious about the picture the more I look but hey.
Good video as usually, and nice display of actual Romanian Airforce Mig 21s and IAR 330 Puma helicopters. Both aircraft were recovered from the crash sites (agricultural fields); there was no sign of any antiaircraft damage. Most likely, the Mig 21 had a severe technical malfunction, the pilot was not able to control the plane, nor eject. Not the first time, unfortunately. Now: sending a rescue helicopter in those tough weather conditions was an edgy decision, and probably emotionally motivated (all players involved were from the same airfield, M. Kogalniceanu). Unfortunately, it did not end well.
Notes*: Currently all Romanian F-16 were bought from Portugal. There is a procedure that aims to buy 32 more from Norway, but that has not materialized yet. The IAR-330 PUMA does not have a deicing capabilities for the main control surfaces (aka blades), it was flying low, at that hour it was already dark and the temperatures that evening were around 0 degrees Celsius. Since the incident, another MiG-21 had to make an emergency landing due to technical issues, and as of today, 15.04.2022 the Romanian Ministry of Defense deemed the MiG-21 too dangerous to continue to be operated, and all the planes will be stopped from performing air policing duties. The crews will continue to train on them in order to maintain a level of training in case of emergency, but they will be phased out once the transition to the F-16 fleet will be complete.
Excellent production that leaves the mystery suitably open-ended. At first glance the MIG 21 is very reminiscent of the English Electric Lightning P1, and how long ago is it since they were pensioned off? Excellent work Mark, thanks.
I believe the single-engine MiG-21 is the most produced fighter jet in history, with tons of export orders and license-built versions made outside the USSR, and has an extensive combat history in many theaters, as opposed to the EE Lightning, which was 2-engined and never produced in large numbers or widely exported, if ever.
@@RCAvhstape no real Brit worthy of the name would miss an opportunity to talk-up something British even if it meant riding on the success of something that isn't British
That pic of the downed "SU-27" that Russia supplied (I think they supplied. Not 100% sure) looks remarkably like a MiG-25 Foxbat. Look at the verticals. Very large compared to the SU-27.
Exactly what I was thinking from the shape. I wouldn't be surprised if they were using the old 25s versus MiG-31s but they share the same shape so is either one of the two.
they have notrhing in common with the actually mig 21 ... they keept the names but almost everything on a plane was upgraded but yes... they are still very old planes ...
When Mark is covering current events instead of historical conflicts, you know you live in crazy times.
Vapid commentary
@@justadildeau RUclips. Your comment is redundant.
this will be tomorrow's history - and the sooner the better.
@@sgtbilkothe3rd likewise sugar
It has always been crazy...always will be....
I remember using one of your videos as a source for a high school research paper, as I love to watch these for fun. Keep up the good work, Dr Felton.
I would not try using them for citations, but those videos usually give a good overview before starting research on a topic. So yeah...good work
@@sebastianwendl603 if you use the video I think you can just put in the video and then all of the citations for the video that are in the description, some profs would take it but I'm sure most every hs teacher would
@@sebastianwendl603 He's in highschool, not writing an academic paper.
@@HoxtonKG
With a name like Captain PopTarts, he might be in elementary school
@@sebastianwendl603 even in academic settings, its acceptable to cite YT videos. You just have to satisfy the reader that you've done additional research and verified the quality of the channel. It might raise eyebrows but it can be done
Source: I've used YT videos as accessory sources for 14th year assignments and received high marks
Having spent over 20 years as a pre-flight and in-flight weather specialist in the federal aviation administration in the United States, I can state professionally that one of the most lethal hazards to all pipes of aircraft is icing. I worked primarily with general and corporate aviation, and at one facility also had a medevac guard unit with UH-1's. I spent about half my career in areas of higher terrain.
When you have mixtures of rain and snow, and inversions where you have warm air above cold air, you can have super cooled droplets of water that as soon as they strike any hard service instantly freeze in a smooth very difficult to remove layer. If the rate of accumulation is high enough, severe clear icing as it is professionally called, is a threat to even aircraft with state of the art deicing equipment. Even the big boys (air carriers) are prohibited from flying into those conditions if they are known to exist.
Icing is a killer.
Helicopters get a trifecta. If the ice sticks to the edge of the rotor blade (which is where it typically impacts) It produces turbulent airflow because it changes the profile. So you get less lift. You also get less power, as the rotor blade becomes less efficient. At the same time the aircraft is rapidly gaining weight, as you are coated in ice. In fact the auto rotating feature of a helicopter rotor isn't going to work very well if it's iced, because it's no longer as aerodynamic and is not providing lift. To put this more simply, aircraft go crunch.
For the fighter aircraft, if you have a laminar flow wing, your typical high speed low drag thin profile, again it is hypersensitive to ice. Even the best hot wings (exhaust channeled into the leading edge of the wings to make it too warm to ice) can be overwhelmed by rapid clear icing. Losing both aircraft in the same area close to each other can be consistent with extremely hazardous icing conditions. While I would think that could also be true of enemy fire, either a SAM system or a couple of hostile aircraft, those are going to leave a very different signature than your typical weather related accident.
There of course is the all risk created by fog and low line clouds, that one of our medevac chopper pilots unaffectionately called cumulo-granite. We'd just buried a civilian medevac crew due to that. While I can thankfully say so far as I know I was never involved in contributing to a weather-related fatality, I have had to sign both recorded phone line and radio transcripts of communications with pilots who chose to ignore warnings and discovered mother nature is not to be trifled with. People forget that because they are flying in or near a war zone, military pilots often do not have the luxury of staying on the ground like civilian pilots. They are just as dead whether a missile or airframe icing claw their airplane from the sky. May their families find peace.
Fantastic insight, Mr Carroll. Thank you
Hmmm probably the reason why the Russian planes went down too huh...
Thank you for that insight. As we know, non-Mediterranean Europe isn't exactly known for sunshine and crisp blue skies for most of the year.
@@whakatu4life285 Don't know, but in the US if an aircraft reports severe icing that is automatically an emergency. Ironically impacting terrain in extremely limited visibility situations kills more pilots in the US than any other single cause.
I helped give weather safety seminars at some of our local pilot meetings. One of the things that was drummed into us for our dealing with aircraft encountering hazardous in-flight conditions, was that if conditions are getting worse try to get them to TURN AROUND in most cases. They've actually tested it, and talked about it to pilots who survived weather related crashes, and there is the human mindset that if I'm just 50 miles from the airport (10-20 minutes roughly) well I'm almost there and I'll just go take a look. If the weather is getting worse, and in another 50 miles it's going to get worse enough to kill you.
I cannot remember how many times they covered that in our refresher training. I had a funny experience with the military medevac chief pilot, who had been deployed in first Iraq and had probably been flying choppers longer than I had been alive.
He would always tell me we can set down in a field. I had been watching the weather one day, and he was flying down to my previous station going into the mountains of West Virginia. I read him the weather, you had low IFR that had already worked its way up to Central West Virginia. I showed him what it was doing, and he said I'll go down and take a look.
I told him that weather of indefinite ceiling zero visibility one quarter of a mile in heavy snow wasn't safe for anything. The next morning I was at work with about a foot of snow outside ( was also a weather observer so snow depth was a very important factor when I had to go outside every hour), and he comes up to the counter for a weather briefing. As I started to fill out the flight plan info, I double checked that he was departing from our airport, and he looked at me and said no I have to drive down to Southern West Virginia and pick up the helicopter from the middle of a field. I'm bringing it back. We had to set down when we ran into that weather. I just looked at him, smiled, and continued the briefing.
From then on when I told him the weather was going to be too low for helicopters, he actually listened. I also had a whole batch of his junior guard pilots that he would send over to get briefings from me. The only ones we lost were in Iraq because the old UH1's evidently had problems with blowing sand, or maybe it is just older engines with a lot of wear and then sand on top of it. They had to fly in blowing sand conditions to medevac severely injured soldiers. People forget that besides people shooting at you and things going boom, there are all kinds of nasty accidents that can occur in a war zone. Especially when you're really tired and short on time and that short cut leads to a mangled arm or leg. The Guard (older equipment) medevac units actually had one of the highest casualty rates in 1st Iraq.
From your insight which is very technical and practical, don't you think Russia adversary of specialising in ground weapons is cost effective and accurate for that matter, ground I mean artillery from sea, land and anti aircraft, in modern war against serious militaries airforce seems costly and risky to invest, sometimes I think its reason Biden refused NATO to wage war on Russia, American might is airforce, but Russia seems to fix the situation from ground, well have no idea but to say your story was educative.
Condolences to the families and comrades in arms of the lost air crews. RIP
Thank you, Dr. Felton, for sharing this news with us.
The idea that even an inexperienced missile crew could confuse a helicopter with a top speed of less tan 200MPH for an attacking jet or cruise missile seems less than credible. Fantastic video as always.
the crashes took place at a great distance inside the Romanian territory, it is very certain that the S300 has no range to attack there and anyway the aircraft were tracked by the Romanian radar and could have seen possible Ukrainian missiles
the truth is that it was very bad weather then and this is probably the main cause
@@MrQ454 S300 has a range to attack..
@@idontcare2851 It's a 75 year old jet that crashed well within Romanian borders. Look at a map, there's no way they would have missile defenses setup at a Nato border scanning their air space. What would be the point of that?
@@idontcare2851 During harsh weather. Mig-21's are old aircraft, and Romanian LanceR's have crashed before. Combine that with the helicopter being recalled due to poor weather, it's not hard to believe. Anyway, Russia has the larger issue with mistaken identity, after all, they confused a Boeing airliner as a turboprop military transport and shot it down over Ukraine in 2014.
It was the S-300 system which destroyed a Russian recon aircraft over Syria . The cover story was , it was inexperienced Syrian soldiers who made the mistake and not Russian crews. A moot point at the time .
This is what the History Channel should be putting out.
* news
Too bad they turned into the Trash Channel.
@LeoTheBritish-Eurasian really they're back being good?
@@Draconisrex1 Right? A poorly executed soap opera channel
@LeoTheBritish-Eurasian good to hear I will check it
As a romanian I can assure you, there is nothing mysterious about these crashes. Its because we still use equipement from the Korean War in 2022. They have been constantly crashing in the last 30 years, even in the 90s. Its a national embarassment.
The only mystery is why we still use such antiquated equipement.
If its that or nothing- they're still pretty capable to be honest, and can still fire more modern missiles.
@@mandowarrior123 Its not between that or nothing. We were so corrupt before we entered the EU and still are but not as much, that individual bribes in the 90s could've equivalated had they been used to something productive to a whole new fleet of aircraft, either mig 29s at least or f-16s. We got a bunch of second hand f16, and will get in the years to come f35s but its only now that we do something about it.
We also have horrible tanks really, we operate some romanian made variant of the t55 chassis instead of getting at least some Leopards or M1A3s like the poles are doing-and there is nothing concrete that we will in the near future.
Most of what the army's main purpose here is paying salaries and pensions, defending the country probably comes a distant 3rd or 4th place.
@@RandoBurner Thanks for posting, love this channel because of people like you !
"The only mystery is why we still use such antiquated equipement."
Probably because you still have some that hasn't crashed yet.
Well I suppose the problem is not owningthe aircraft itself, but rather owning a logistic chain to maintain it. That involve the staff capable of fixing it, in some cases even having enough long runways needed for other type of planes, owning enough parts etc... The price of the aircraft is one thing, the price of keeping it up there is another thing...
I love that you are reporting it factually as it is happening, the utmost respect to you Dr. Felton, I feel as though you're one of the few golden age styled journalists / historians to date!
How much better was the world when his like was the MSM?
Both were accidents according to the Romanian Ministry of Deffence. You can find info on their website but in Romanian. The aircraft had probably engine faliure after take off, the rescue helicopter had problem with ice that blocked the airflow in the engine. The weather was bad for flying.
Thanks for posting, love this channel because of people like you !
What else could they say.
@@leonidjoseph5483 if you check the airport and the crash site just in this video then it is obvious to me that the accident should have happened after take off… this video is a bit of conspiracy and Russians also use desinformation like the brits and americans in this (and other) war conflict very much. This video is based on Russian claims that Ukrainians did a mistake. I think the Ukrainians know 1. where are the airports in Romania, 2. which direction the Russians are operating, 3. Russians would never use airspace of a Nato country for attacking UA in order to avoid direct conflict with Nato air deffence (German and other Nato fighters have been deployed to Romania). & do not underestimate the weather and mother nature. But you can believe what you like (wmd in Iraq for example ;))
@Grim FPV Its quite obvious. The ukrainians were hitting everything that moved in the first weeks
@Grim FPV it is a domestic embarrassment, what else can it be? you can't hide an attack like that no matter how hard you try, not in this region and not in these days...corruption kills, these aircrafts should have been scrapped more than two decades ago
As a history teacher I love using Mark Felton in the classroom!
I wish I had mark Felton videos when I was school
he loves the smell of his own farts
Ban all 1619 related NYTimes fiction!
History teacher from Australia checking in. Mark's videos are a great resource for us HT's!!
Even just RUclips but his and several other RUclips people that focus on history and this is history unfolding in front of our eyes are something those of use that grew up before the internet only dreamed of.
These used to be a common occurrence in the 90s, so much so that Romanian mig 21s were called "plows". Nowadays these mig 21s have been modernised like two decades ago and I guess are better maintained but still these airplanes are old. I think this was mostly an unfortunate accident also made more likely by the bad weather.
That's what they want you to think
Our mig's are old now bro, they've been crashing for a while now, and will continue to do so
In India it's called the "flying coffin".
Mig 21s airframe have poor handling and visibility. They crash all the damn time. Just ask the Indians... Those things are a death trap.
@@zsoltkovacs827 Who is they?
MiG-21 is dropping for seconds, if the engine goes off. I was servicing the container with spy cameras on the belly of the MiG-21R (reconnaissance) in the 70's. The airplanes were stationed at the airfield Tolbukhin (today Dobrich) in the North Eastern Bulgaria. For just 6 months we had 2 accidents with 2 airplanes lost. Thank God the pilots ejected and there were no injuries. This airplane was notorious with it's inability to glide in the air. It's delta form wings does not bring big air support. The pilots were only relying on the powerful engine. But the problem was that there were too many accidents with engines switching off. Once this happen it was very difficult to turn on the engine again in the air. I heard from a technician in our regimen that MiG-21 is constructed with very weak power block. It looks that the latest generations got this problem solved. But the earlier versions needed a battery station on a truck to start it's engines before lift off. Over all there were too many fatal incidents in the Bulgarian Air Force during the communist dictatorship were very often. The accident happen not only with MiG-21, but also with MiG-19 and MiG-17. The record of the Soviet made airplanes was very bad. I was doing pictures of the graduating pilots, who learned to fly at the Air Force Academy near Dolna Mitropolia, Pleven district. After years of service the guys were coming back for commemorating gatherings at the Academy and it was a sad picture to see that many graduates lost their life.
Yeah, Russian aircrafts are junk. Sorry that Bulgarians had to live under essentially Russian rule for so many decades.
Thank you for telling the Truth about these flying coffins. The early delta wing aircraft in the U.S. Air Force were called "widow-makers" for this very reason. This was clearly a weather-related accident, not so-called "friendly fire" by the Ukrainians.
@@Travasaurusrex
The investigation is still not complete, yet you make assumptions? For all we know it may been pilot error.
To make assumptions without knowing the truth, is what a clown does, a gentleman, awaits for all facts to gather together before making any form of assumption, a plane was lost, thats the truth, why it was lost, we do not know yet and may never know.
As someone interested in fighter aircraft generally, I had no idea of these shortcomings of the mig21. I had always just heard how tough and gritty it was and could be stored outside etc as opposed to our seemingly "delicate" planes in the West (Canada) this is interesting stuff! Thanks!
@@SMGJohn We romanians are used to migs falling down , pilot error or bird ingestion , tech malfunction whatever , these are unforgivable airframes . No need for a S300 to fire randomly opposite to the front line .
A Romanian RUclipsr I watch who worked indirectly with people like the helicopter crew said that Romanian military pilots are known for being pretty unsafe in their flying and take a lot of dangerous risks that other countries don’t and so he wasn’t surprised at all that these aircraft crashed
Vee? I know he mentioned sonething like that about the rescue helicopter.
Thanks let me know about Romania air force because i been misunderstood about news when country mistakenly shot or enemy shoot, trespassing another country
@@gheetza14 Vee rocks!
@@kampar82 except for killing 2 tabletop series I was enjoying in a row. (Sargons DnD by splitting up the party and quitting and Arch Warhammers nazi vampires by starting his own generic lame game)
A jet fighter and its rescue helicopter crash because of weather within half an hour?
People will believe anything …..
Old or not... those Lancers are gorgeous. When they are retired I hope they find their way into museums or private collections.
Given their upgrades with Elta radars and avionics, I'd bet they're used as aggressors.
They are very noisy as well.
They are awesome planes ✈️ they entered soviet service in 1959 and there still in service
Even if I find a video from Mark that isn't really my thing i still come in and watch it and hit the like because he really does his research and is 100000% more credible then any other news/yt videos... Mark you do a great job keep up the good work! 😁
If Mark had a whole team producing this much content, it would still be impressive. If there was a Mark Felton University, I would want to study there.
Croatian MiG-21 also had number of accidents with some losses during the year. Each of existing airframes is decades old and they are not low-stress transports but fast and agile interceptors.
Hmmm strange
And the Puma?
I can only add that MiG-21 from Croatia were on maintanance repairs in Ukraine, not Russia.
This is fake news. Last incidents with Croatian Mig's was in 2014. No casualties.
However Serbia lost one of it's training Mig21 in Sept. Of 2020 with both pilots killed. Somebody from our area interested in flying should be well aware of that.
If the DCS simulator is anything like the real plane, a Mig 21 can be pretty unforgiving of mistakes. Apparently DCS is quite close to the real thing so it’s not like someone playing CoD. Milsim software based on DCS is used to train pilots in various airforces so I assume it must be relatively accurate.
I know they're old and outdated planes but that Romanian livery on those MIG-21's is fantastic.
I love MIG-21's they're such ugly but equally beautiful bits of kit.
@@fingmoron they are not really ugly, it looks beautiful from outside like an arrow.
Not rllt outdated anymore the lancer r is fitted with a modern day nato radar, gun, and electronics
@@paulbadelita3898 doesn't change the fact that the aircraft itself is very old
@Mark Felton,
Unfortunately, the history of MiGs in Romania is riddled with accidents. Since 1994 and until this year, 19 such planes have crashed, the price paid being the life of 11 pilots.
Currently, the Romanian army still has 35 MiGs in the hangars, of which 18 are operational.
Same as message above you,
Thanks for posting, love this channel because of people like you !
yeah, right. what happened to the chopper then? and both within a 30-minute window. doesn't take a genius to conclude that they were both shot down by the 1-million or so javelins, nlaws, and stingers that have been flooding the Nazis there since 2013. yes you read that right, 2013.
Don't you have option to Eject from it ?
@@thekaizer666 Maybe its simply the Romanian Triangle, like the Bermuda Triangle where planes crash .
@@thekaizer666 before you talk about maybe you can look into it. Romania had a lot of those planes crash.The title is such a click bait.
I love Dr Felton's comment sections. Always good insight from people from all walks of life and everyone is super respectful and interesting. Good content brings good conversation
The first mig-21 flew in 1956, it was officially introduced to militaries in 1959.
The last one ever build left the factory in 1981.
Theoretically the plane could be 63 years old, with a minimum age of 41 years.
Antiques break down, that's a given.
And yet so many commenters are quick to believe Russia and blame Ukraine, even with literally zero evidence and everyone else, including the people who lost the aircraft, disputing it.
@@lukajolich7669 yup, all the emotions prevent common sense from taking place.
Kind off understandable but unfortunate none the less.
neah, im from romania. they were shot by ucrainians, but now ucrainians must be portrayed as hero's , so we cant say the truth.
The last B-52 was built in the early 1960s and they are still going strong.
@@sebastianconstantin5176 I'm from Russia it was us.
I am truley loving this channel ...its so important to cover current events!
As a Romanian, i'm ashamed of this accident. Yet, i'm glad my country made it into a Mark Felton video. Aside of WW2 stuff, of course.
Slava Romania 🇷🇴 🙌🏻
Nah don't be ashamed, these things happen. It is just an unfortunate coincidence that these accidents happened and took their crew with them. May they rest in peace.
Ehh, we've mistakenly flown a couple F-35s into the ocean in recent months. It happens in aviation. Nothing to be ashamed of. ;)
All countries lose aircraft on operations for various reasons, add bad weather and even more likely. RIP the personnel doing their duty.
@@Shot_Gunner we don`t use that over here, we`re latins!
This is very interesting Mark, something we have barely heard in the news
Nato is a gang that will end Europe in a Nuclear war.
These update videos really do take the 'drama' out of what we hear and see on Radio and Television 'news' stories.
Thanks for this.
Amazing video as always, quality content with great commentary Thank you for talking about this subject!
Another generation of war covered by our dashing history teacher. Thank you sir!
Yes, war is highly entertaining
@KN Nk Hmmm, Given the choice between the respectable Dr. Felton and what he has presented compared to the "Caps Lock" statement made by an account created 3 days ago with nothing to substantiate said statement. lol
@KN Nk Ok, do this in parts for simplicity. #1 No, I'm simply observant and suffer from blunt honesty. #2 Was unaware of vision problem, apologies. #3 If you have to create new accounts because they are being banned or blocked.... well, that's usually for a reason. #4 The "Dr." is the narrator of the video and info is in the description section above comments. #5 I did pay attention to the materials, it's why I watched the video in the first place and the color of the comment in caps was quite disingenuous. Lastly #6 Not sure what you mean by ID? I Got ID was a "95 Pearl Jam song.... little clarification on that one.🙈🙉🙊
Excellent reporting by Mark, as usual. Pity we can't get this kind of in-depth coverage from cable news networks, most of which usually dabble in political discourse - not news.
Dabble? DABBLE? They dabble in NEWS.
Just like to add that Romania's second-hand F16's came not just from Norway, but also from Portugal.
When Mark is giving accounts of historical events and you realise they are not 60 or 70 years ago but just in the current year, it is really a mind numbing and mind blowing.
Seeing current wrecks in moving pictures and in color rams home the reality of the past wars and see past the black and white pictures.
Amazing how the Mig21 is still flying today… such an old piece of tech so outdated and outclassed by modern fighters and anti air yet still so beautiful in my opinion
Well, they do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In my opinion, one of the ugliest jet fighters ever built.
They keep being updated for modern air warfare.
Yeah too old and some are now too tired for the their bones.
@@ianworley8169 So true, I on the other hand love the mig 21, the ugliest jet to me is the Hawker Hunter.
They are still good in intercepting tho infact better than modern fighters in terms of intercepting even tho the plane crashes a lot lmao
Your Romanian pronunciation is great, showing a great interest in small details like these. Congrats yet again, Mark!
The MIG handles like a rocket with flaps from the looks of it. Beautiful in its own way
I always thought that of the F-104 Starfighter.
It handles ok, when you follow the couvert of scenario. No plane is perfect, and this one is studied for 50 years..so go in.
@@miroslavdockal9468 Oh yeah,
Should be used in that way too.
Well it needed to be able to fly like a rocket to be able to shoot them down
Loved the Ukrainian fighter “waving” when he left the Romanian airport
When I first saw the title, I thought NATO was gonna join the war due to the air loss and the world would get fucked up even harder than it already is.
The second nato enters it's going to be nuclear very quickly
Great, great work! I wish you were in charge of news agencies here in the US. You give accurate information, context, and statements from all sides without skewing it to a given political ideology. Absolutely fabulous work!
The complete ineptitude and equipment deficit of my army put forward on international display.
I'm honoured :(
haha ouch!
Whenever you feel like your country is corrupt and your military is weak, look at Russia and instantly feel better
Accidents happen to all countries, military flying (especially fast jet) is not as safe as its commercial counterpart.
Im sorry. Rest in peace to these Romanian servicemembers. I dont think poorly of Romanians. Hopefully Romania will be getting Western replacements. F-16 and UH-60 platforms come with tons of support. Tons of parts. Easy to fly. Safe. Highly developed and refined platforms
Btw One of my favorite RUclipsrs, Ludi Et Historia is a Romanian strategy gamer. Dunno if you've seen him but he talked about this topic once on stream. He didn't bash them but I didn't realize this was something notorious about the Romanian Air Force.
So much has been happening in this conflict that I had not even heard of these aircraft crashing! Very informative video once again!
Which is ironic because it was all over Russian media speculating why it crashed, and I also clearly remembering reading about it in western media which said the Russians shot it down, this is why its best to take everything with a grain of salt, neither side speaks a damn spek of truth.
Another excellent and educational video. Thanks, Mark!
Honestly it’s really cool seeing older MIGs still in service.
Not for the people flying them when they crash.
@@adrianthoroughgood1191 well, yeah, but mig21s are still cool
@@dylanholven6375 yes, I'll give you that. They answer the question: If you took one of the engines from a blackbird, stick wings on the side and a seat on top, what does it look like?
The A10 is a gun with wings. The Mig 21 is an engine with wings. The problem with having a single engine is if it stops you can have a big problem. A twin engine plane can get home with one engine and be repaired.
I worked at a Libyan airbase , it was full of mil 8 amphibious and land and mig 21s. The ground crews would come along and blitz a mil 8 or a mig 21 and then get it flying in about a week. When they released the rotor brake on the mil 8 we would all get away from the windows, also it was a heli with opening windows, quite unusual.
Dr. Felton has quickly become a valuable source of information about not just WWII, but now WWIII as well.
What a lot of people are unaware of, is that Israeli Aviation Industries have been updating Eastern European MiG 21s for the last decade, and the changes include glass cockpits, and modern avionics .
They light years ahead of the sixties versions of MiG 21.
Do you mean that the canopy wasn't glass before, or do you mean like glass all around the cockpit so they can see in more directions?
They are flawed by design issues. Fuel tank is placed under the body and sometimes fuel moving around creates destabilization during flight.
@@gimmethegepgun "Glass cockpit" means a cockpit that uses lots of video displays and modern electronics as opposed to an old school cockpit using all analog dial instruments. Look up a photo of a Boeing 747 cockpit from 1970s vs. a 747 from recent years to see the difference. It's common to upgrade old aircraft with glass cockpits if they remain in service long enough.
@@gimmethegepgun glass cockpit refers to modern avionics and instrumentation such that the old analogue diaals are on digital displays instead.
Israel also updated the
Puma 332 for Rumania.
I appreciate the way you’re telling the current news in the same way you do your historical videos
Thank you for creating a video with this subject, Mark Felton.
Things not well known outside Romania:
1. The weather was bad, but not unusually bad. When people from Romania questioned the weather, the official explanation drifted toward "technical problems".
2. In regard to the incident when Romanian Air Force lost one fighter jet and one military helicopter in less than one hour: The pilot of the jet fighter had more than 500 hours of flight. The pilot of the military helicopter had more than 1500 hours of flight. They were not beginners! Blaming human errors is possible, but for two separate cases, with the experience of these pilots, does not stand.
- - -
The Snake Island, only 32 km / 20 miles from Romanian shore (and a former belonging of Romania), was occupied by the Russians from the beginning of the conflict and they took it from Ukraine. I would not be surprised for the Russians to try something experimental, like electronic jamming or you name it.
- - -
Even though the loss of the helicopter and fighter jet were "accidents" + "because weather" + "technical problems", in that evening, or in the next day, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, came in person to Bucharest in an unexpected visit, to talk with the Romanian government! In the day of the "accident", or the following day, France pledged to send their only aircraft carrier to the Black Sea, near the Romanian shore. Quite unusual events for "accidents" + "because weather" + "technical problems".
- - -
Conclusion: IF the Romanian fighter jet and the helicopter went down because of the Russians, NATO did not want to publicly acknowledge that, because it would have forced them into action.
interesting conjecture
Good Analysis.
And the last thing that NATO wants is to confront Putin! What the f..k is the point of NATO if it is not prepared to confront the Madman and defend its borders.
Puking wants to destroy NATO to give him the freedom to invade other countries - Poland next, Romania, and onward to BERLIN.
Come on NATO step up and do your job! FFS.
Another conspiracy theory fan, drawing conclusions out of nothing and/or lies. No foreign aircraft carrier can enter the Black Sea (Montreux convention); France pledged nothing related to such. Von der Leyen went all over Eastern Europe those days.
I truly mean it when I say you should have your own program BBC program Dr. Felton (hopefully ones that gives you complete creative control).
Mark Felton far too good for the BBC. They would only commission 'woke' content not facts.
That would be programme lol.
I can't imagine Mark Felton does so many quality investigative journalism and put it out for free. Big Fan 👍
I love your work Mr. Felton. At this point it’s hard for me to believe any government statement.
“At this point”? Never believe governments!
@Grim FPV I think it’s because of how we “western populations” have become complacent and we’re just realizing how our governments have lied to us in situations just to benefit themselves, I’m not excusing Russia from any responsibility from invading Ukraine but the western world has done its fair share of crimes that no one brings to light until it’s so old nothing can be done about it to bring justice, sorry for going on a tangent :)
@Grim FPV Oh, yeah... just like what they said about the Lancers being shot down by Ukraine. Very honest... get a f*cking life.
Everyone in Romania knows it's airforce is old and prone to crashes. There were so many crashes of MiG 21 in the past 20 years in Romania, it's really not news anymore.
@Grim FPV you're delusional if you think Russian policy is to tell the truth
Thank you for an excellent video and for such professional coverage. It's such a change to hear you describing current events. Thank you for such hard work and thorough research. Respect.
Brilliant video yet again, sir. As a Bangladeshi kid in his teenage, this is treasure for me. Guys around me smoke weed while I watch you. Thank you again for entertaining me and encouraging me about history. Love.
Much honor to Romania 🇷🇴 for bravely policing the skies and returning the aircraft.
Are you kidding? If I were a pilot in the Romanian airforce I'd run for the hills before climbing into the cockpit of those rust coffins.
@@bigzed7908 nothing from those migs are what used to be when the airplane was crafter ... it was modernized by israel and 90% of the parts inside changed ... very good radar but still old planes indeed ... they only a few left ...
@@nicolaeadrian7882 I hope they get discarded to the History books as soon as possible.
@@bigzed7908 they do ... half are retired and othet half are just used for patrol ... the f-16``s they boght to replace the mig`s are delayed af ...
@@bigzed7908 I think most of those in the West would be alarmed at one of these “vintage” aircraft flying over our heads. They are nevertheless very robustly built (over built), and parts are available in an abundance. Still…
RIP all those who died - God damn the politicians who are making all this sh*t happen!...
@Harupert Beagleton You have a point. BUT how would you suggest that 'citizens' stop this happening?
@@georgebuller1914 by making noise
@@azkrouzreimertz9784 'Noise?'
How do politicians make bad weather happen?
@@mattteee2973 LOL - give them time! My point is, if we didn't have nutters like Putin trying to rule the world, then we wouldn't be putting people's lives at risk by NEEDING(?) to fly aircraft in such poor weather - just to maintain a listening watch.
Thanks 🙏 Mark Felton for your great videos great work
Complete and comprehensive air crash investigation and the fog of war usually don’t mix. Thank you for taking the time to look into and cover this!
Thank you Dr. Felton!
Love the detail that goes into your videos and how you explain contexts, to give us a clear picture of what happened and possibly why. Great work 🙂
Seeing a Mark video about a timeline I lived through, wild.
That wing rock is iconic IMO, a real sign of thanks and respect.
Just in-case you missed it... The Ukrainian aircraft departing Romania saluted with their aircraft after take off... Meaning all were happy and friendly ;)
Yeah I noticed that too.
Naturally, they both fought with the NAZI SS in WW2
@@chevinbarghest8453 Stop living in the past.
@@chevinbarghest8453 Cope
@@chevinbarghest8453 So did Russia...
26 Mig-21s have crashed in Romania in the last 28 years... Many of these pilots died trying to save the plane or take it to an unpopulated area.
Less than one a year average, that's not a bad record. Maybe you should quit yer bitchin'.
Always top notch content. Top tier as always!
Thanks for all you do mark
Its great that calling it as it is.
Its not a Russo-Ukraine War.
Its NATO-Russia War.
I must say, the ability to consistently deliver material without a clear bias is impressive.
I'm loving all the new info on today's War. It's like...mostly the material I'm really interested in. Awesome Mark!
Thank you Doctor Felton for giving us real time history.
I am using the videos in my classroom as much as I can! I am a huge fan of Dr. Felton and his tell it as it is and the truth is the best way to show and tell the historical reference to a event.
That moment when history creates content for Mark Felton. News and history are one during war. Thanks for what you do, Mark.
The fact those mig's 21 are still flying is a miracle indeed, in Poland we called them flying coffins...
I think it's mostly the fault of very exploited old design of the planes, that were even 15 yers ago regarded as very
malfunctioning planes.
It's a miracle that these "Balalaikas" are still flying, 63 years later, and a testament to their legendary durability. You can't smear that plane due to its performance well beyond its recommended shelf life!
those old coffins with wings won't fly for very long. they'll either get shot down with ease, or fall from the sky on their own with inexperienced romanian pilot.
@@driver4011 Idk about that it's not like they are getting parts from Russia no more is it? Mig 21's have been obsolete for a loooong time, Russia doesn't seem to have any inventory of the planes so getting replacement parts is about as likely as surviving in space with no space suite.
@@Dazzxp Mig 21 were getting parts from Ukraine..now with that bombed i thing its end for Mig 21..
@@Dazzxp india still flies them and they also call them flying coffins. I hear all the electronics have been modernized though and are far from obsolete. This plane is so common it must have spare parts everywhere and they are not complicated.
Another great video. Could you do a series on WW1? The intracies and details of how everyone was related at that time in Europe. The Czar and King George were first cousins, etc, the change of the name to Windsor. Most have no idea how involved families were at that time. The battles and loss of life were incredible. Thank you Dr Felton
Battle of Somme 54,000 casualies for allie side with most of those on the first 24hr period from my understanding.
Hell, wait a few days and you could do WWlll !!!
Better stick to the relevant current stuff!
Check out "The Great War" channel that covered the conflict week by week from 1914 to 1918.
It was claimed that there was a great deal of friendship through the Royal families. But the UK did not rescue the Tzar and his family.
It was also claimed in summer 1914 that countries with such close economic ties would always be at peace with each other.
Oh yes, whose daughter married into the German Royal family?
Dr. Mark Felton is an unsung modern day hero! 🧑🎓🧑🏫
A sad double tragedy for these two sets of aviators no matter what the causes of their crashes. Condolences to their Families! Thank you for making these tragedies known to everyone who might see this presentation - the truth of present day history must be known for us to know what is happening on our World.
The truth will not be reported accurately during war time in The West as long as the Western media is under government control - unless the truth happens to coincide with the MSM/government agenda.
Your videos are truly incredible history lessons. Thanks again, Dr. Felton
I see one off these perform at RIAT 2019...I feel lucky to have seen it do so considering its one off those Cold War classics that are now becoming very rare.
my father in law is a former helicopter pilot (who actually flew the helicopter that crashed) many years ago. his brother was a Mig 21 Lancer pilot, he catapulted about 20 yrs ago and survived. Both the helicopter and the plane were around 50 yrs old. The reason why they both crashed on the same evening was that the weather was really bad. Pundits and countries alike then tried to exploit the incident to their advantage. The truth is we need new aircraft desperately as what we have is extremely old which is we are buying Norwegian F-16s, that are also old unfortunately.
Can't go far wrong with f16s. A big upgrade from a mig 21
You'll be just fine with the F-16's. Israel, to name 1, is still using them quite effectively.
Curiously it appears that Romania already has the F 16. My question is why did they take the Mig and not the F 16.
Mig-21 Lancer, the flying coffin. It belongs in a museum, not in the active service. Shame on politicians for not allowing a renewal of the air fleet for all these years. The pilots pay this with their lives.
Again Dr. Felton teaches us so much about Ukraine's air operations, hopefully they will learn what actually took place and I'm hoping it wasn't friendly fire. Thanks
Romania is the poorest failed state in Europe (same as Ukraine is). And Romanian old planes and helicopters are falling down like dead flies from the sky, because of lack of money, maintenance and spare parts by Romanian government. And you should relax old man. Nobody will fight WW3 and nuclear war because of Ukraine or Romania.
Hi Mark, Maybe mention the year in the videos related to the Ukraine war as well so future generations get a better understanding.
Having grown up in the cold war, it still seems odd to me as hearing about NATO losing MiGs.
Yep, me too.
Hehe , because we joined and had a lot of soviet made military... it is kinda laugh/cry situation. In 2004 when we joined, me and my friends where talking about now it is time to change our military to a modern/west standard, and ditch the rusky ones... and... we still have them today... I swear that our Romanian politicians are not bad, they are a disaster!!! Sorry for any typos but it is late and I am not that young anymore...
Informative as always Dr. Felton. At some point, I hope people stop referring to things said on "social media". That is like saying "word on the street", or "rumor has it". It's interesting that the inept and compromised main stream media, have resorted to reporting on what is said on Facebook and Twitter. Thank goodness people like yourself are providing accurate information. Stay well Sir.
I enjoy all of Mark Felton's documentaries. I sometimes wish they were longer because they are very informative and really interesting.
These planes have been falling from the skies a lot. Just from 1994-2017 around 19 planes crashed due to malfunctions. They are commonly known as flying coffins :(((
Doesn't explain why the helicopter also crash..
@@legokingtm9462 likely weather. I have a buddy who is a Blackhawk pilot and he said helicopters have a hard time flying in the best of conditions
That's not even one per year, sadly, a lot of countries lose that amount.
Whilst in a different context, soon after WW2, in Britain IN ONE YEAR - around 5000 trainees & aircrew lost their lives in flying accidents as the Cold War had started & the air force was still large.
@@legokingtm9462 there were ice particles that deposited on the propellers of the helicopter (as well as on the wings of the plane!), the helicopter pilot reported the bad weather and was approved to return to base
@@MrQ454 Is that what they told you on TV? Pilots are briefed on weather conditions before they even take off. Icing is a big part of that brief. The chopper crew may have chanced it and they may have succumbed to CFIT or ice.
As a Romanian, i am 100% sure Russia is right about this. Thank you Mark for this wonderful channel. RUclips's finest!
As a Romanian too, I am sure we will blame anybody but our own people.
For the others, we have a joke here in Romania, about these aircrafts: They are very good for plowing the field.
The Army of Romania was not better than the Russian Army today: full of incompetence and corruption. Those planes are from that age...
Aircraft Engineer Here, I studied the MIG 21 and all its systems at university, and maybe I can make a bit of light on the sudden and "unexpected" crash of the MIG 21. From all the pilots I asked and from my technician colleagues with more than 20 years of experience on the MIG 21 and the IAR 330. The cause of the problem was ice forming on the cone of the MIG 21.
The MIG 21 was not designed with an anti-icing system for the cone and at the time of the accident as mentioned in the video, the weather was cold, and moist with a very low cloud ceiling. The MIG can only fly in those conditions Supersonic as the air friction at supersonic speeds is enough to keep the cone ice-free. Those aircraft were flying sub sonic and in those conditions ice formed on the cone which made the cone unresponsive to the different flight regimes and the engine stopped as it did not have enough air to sustain combustion.
Regarding the IAR 330 puma, the story is similar as the rotor blades were not designed with anti-icing in mind as it was built in 1975. Ice formed on the leading edge of the rotor blades and caused a terrible crash.
The truth is that neither aircraft should have left the base that day with that flight plan and in those conditions. Hopefully, I made a bit of light on this accident.
I never said they the aircraft does not have an anti icing system I said that the intake cone does not have an anti icing system. The intake cone works like a Venturi tube to regulate the air pressure getting into the engine and it’s being controlled only by 2 static pressure sensors (IDO D1 & IDO D2 if I remember correctly). It’s simple ice just formed on the cone or the mechanism that moves the cone and it starved the engine of oxygen it happened with other MIGs as well. The phenomenon is not common as the air moving around the cone crates enough heat especially when supersonic. There are also the little flappers in the intake area witch also are supposed to regulate the pressure in case the airflow is to turbulent.
@@alexmasso96 it doesnt matter, ukrainians shot down both..
S-300 soviet anti-air system did its work, but wrong targets due unprofessional ukrainians
I was wondering all the time why didn't they take the F 16
Brilliant video as usual Mark. It’s very interesting what happen in this tragic accident. Keep up the great work, your videos are really well put together and very professional. Thank you
Thank you, Mark, for providing interesting and important news about the war in Ukraine.
Thanks.
A wild conspiracy theory driven friend of mine told me about this (to some level of accuracy) but I could find nothing in mainstream media.
So, your report means an apology from me to him and an updated level of accuracy of the story as a qualification.
Appreciate this one especially Dr F.
You tried looking on MSM...? No wonder you didn't find anything.
@@paulc6210 if it hurts the ukrainian PR effort, you wont see it...
@@notastone4832 100% agree with you on that.
Uou don't owe your friend any apology because the Mig-21 and Puma weren't downed by the Ukrainians, despite what some commenters above seem to want to imply.
The MIG-21 began in 1955. That they are still being used is remarkable.
Thanks Mark for that measured assessment. For context, I recommend 'Quiet Flows the Don' by Mikhail Sholokhov. Highly relevant to today's happenings.
You are an excellent teacher and masterful historian.
Great video, as usually, Dr. Felton. Only one error, though: the General Dynamics F-16 acquired by Romania are ex Portugal Air Force, not Norwegian.
True. But RoAF is getting the first batch of a total of 32 F-16s from RNoAF this year or next one. That is when these MiGs will (finally) be put in storage.
Bloody good video.
I love Dr.Feltons informative and well researched channel these are all top notch. Thankyou
Honestly, in Romania, those MiGs are a running joke with them crashing. Literally whenever we see one flying we wonder if it will crash. Their replacement can not come soon enough.
It could be worse at least they are not F-104s, if you want an F-104 just buy a field and wait.
Yeah Polish Air Force replaced the MiG-21 with F-16 completely in 2003. Cannot imagine using them till now.... like we have technical issues with the MiG-29s that were made in 1986 and we are waiting for F-35s to replace those in few years from now (up until 2024 or 2025).
MiG-21 that were used in Poland were made in late 1960s and early 1970s. Idk how old Romania’s ones are but I think they are at least 45 years old. That’s way too much.
That supposed Sukhoi downed in Kiev certainly looks a lot like a Mig-31 Foxbat at the rear section and stabilisers.
Riveting work as always Dr Felton.
Mig 25 is Foxbat. Mig 31 is Foxhound.
lol a mig-31 is not a good aircraft for ground strikes so i doubt it.. its an interceptor.. designed for taking out B-52's
Not likely either of those aircraft
both are high-speed interceptors at high fast altitudes.
@@Buster_Piles I am surprisingly annoyed at myself for that. *doffs cap*
@@MrJacksonBollock respect to you sir for saying as much. To err is human. I agree with you that the footage seems to show a 25 or more likely a 31. A beautiful airframe, I've long admired both.
Actually, looking again because it would be so unlikely for either plane to be in theatre, I wonder if it is indeed a su27 but distorted due to the crash damage? 🤔
It's a strange photo, no markings/ numbers? I'm not sure but it appears that there might be the "stinger" detached at the rear? I'm more dubious about the picture the more I look but hey.
Good video as usually, and nice display of actual Romanian Airforce Mig 21s and IAR 330 Puma helicopters.
Both aircraft were recovered from the crash sites (agricultural fields); there was no sign of any antiaircraft damage.
Most likely, the Mig 21 had a severe technical malfunction, the pilot was not able to control the plane, nor eject. Not the first time, unfortunately.
Now: sending a rescue helicopter in those tough weather conditions was an edgy decision, and probably emotionally motivated (all players involved were from the same airfield, M. Kogalniceanu). Unfortunately, it did not end well.
That explanation has the distinct ring of truth to it...
the legend of a random Accident mig 21, made in order to avoid a direct clash between NATO and the Russian Federation.
@@alexandergraviton8247 not like mig 21s haven't crashed before
@@riks081 mig 21s + Helicopter, too many coincidences, right?
Notes*: Currently all Romanian F-16 were bought from Portugal. There is a procedure that aims to buy 32 more from Norway, but that has not materialized yet. The IAR-330 PUMA does not have a deicing capabilities for the main control surfaces (aka blades), it was flying low, at that hour it was already dark and the temperatures that evening were around 0 degrees Celsius. Since the incident, another MiG-21 had to make an emergency landing due to technical issues, and as of today, 15.04.2022 the Romanian Ministry of Defense deemed the MiG-21 too dangerous to continue to be operated, and all the planes will be stopped from performing air policing duties. The crews will continue to train on them in order to maintain a level of training in case of emergency, but they will be phased out once the transition to the F-16 fleet will be complete.
Amazing, as usual
Excellent production that leaves the mystery suitably open-ended. At first glance the MIG 21 is very reminiscent of the English Electric Lightning P1, and how long ago is it since they were pensioned off? Excellent work Mark, thanks.
That is a variable intake nose cone they have in common . some of the 3rd Gen Sukhoi have that too.
what a meaningless comment
I believe the single-engine MiG-21 is the most produced fighter jet in history, with tons of export orders and license-built versions made outside the USSR, and has an extensive combat history in many theaters, as opposed to the EE Lightning, which was 2-engined and never produced in large numbers or widely exported, if ever.
@@RCAvhstape no real Brit worthy of the name would miss an opportunity to talk-up something British even if it meant riding on the success of something that isn't British
Too soon.
That pic of the downed "SU-27" that Russia supplied (I think they supplied. Not 100% sure) looks remarkably like a MiG-25 Foxbat. Look at the verticals. Very large compared to the SU-27.
Who said Russia supplied the photo?
Was my first thought when viewed also. MiG 25 or 31. Not a SU27. Tell me again whats the first casualty of war? Oh yah, the truth.
Exactly what I was thinking from the shape. I wouldn't be surprised if they were using the old 25s versus MiG-31s but they share the same shape so is either one of the two.
It's definitely ukrainian, sukhois and mig-25/31 have very similar looking vertical stabilizers plus I don't think the mig-31 comes in light blue.
They finally grounded all Mig 21 flights shortly after this video came out. It was about damn time!
Mig-21, Wow still in service. Used to build them as an Airfix model back in the day. A vintage jet by modern standards of U.S.A/UK.
These are Lancers - upgraded by a major Israeli defence contractor, Elbit - known as 'the digital fishbed'.
they have notrhing in common with the actually mig 21 ... they keept the names but almost everything on a plane was upgraded but yes... they are still very old planes ...
to be fair the US still operates the B-52 (1952/55), NASA still operates the Canberra (1949)
@@davidrenton A-10 isn't far behind either.
Loving the Ukrainian content!
What can I say others haven't...
Great informative video
When Mark Felton is commenting on Current Events, you KNOW that we are living in Historic Times!