Forgotten MiGs, Hungary

Forgotten MiGs are a collection of abandoned MiG-21 and Su-22 aircraft in Hungary. The stand neatly lined up in a farmer’s field, at the side of a disused runway. The Hungarian Airforce (Hungarian: Magyar Légierő) own these aircraft. They bare traditional tail insignia; aligned triangles which point towards the front of the aircraft. The insignia colours match the Hungarian flag. NATO standard grey-on-grey (low visibility) replace this insignia on modern in-service aircraft.

The aircraft : MiG-21MF, MiG-21bis, MiG-21UM

Initially, this airfield had over 70 Mig-21 “Fishbed” aircraft. At least one has gone to a museum for preservation. These are a second-generation supersonic jet fighter and intercept aircraft. Mikoyan-Gurevich, a Soviet/Russian company, designed these aircraft in the early 1960s. They have traditional camouflage paint. These aircraft arrived at the airfield in the 1980s.

There are three types of MiG-21 here:

• MiG21MF
  • Third generation MiGs. Designed as an interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft. Guns and four missle pylons.
• MiG-21bis
  • Fourth generation MiG. Primarily fitted out for use an an interceptor. Improved air combat performance, and engine redesign
• MiG-21UM
  • These were a two-seated version of the MiG-21. The planes would fly training routes for new pilots between Hungarian air bases.

The aircraft : SU-22M3, SU-22UM3

In addition to the MiG-21, there are several Su-22M3 “Fitter” aircraft. These are Soviet/Russian variable-sweep wing fighter-bombers, designed by Sukhoi. The Su-22 is the export version of the Su-17, a popular aircraft of the Soviet Union Airforce in the 1970’s. The Su-22M3 has a fixed inner wing. Conversely, the outer wing segment is movable. The SU-22 were delivered to the airfield in the late 1990’s. There were part of a scheduled upgrade program and stored here in preparation. Several two-seater variations (Su-22UM3) are among the collection. The Su-22 feature tan/desert camouflage paint jobs. There are cartoon bumblebees painted on the nose cone.

In time the funding was later withdrawn from the project; the aircraft remained in storage never to fly again.

First Visit – Winter 2016

I first visited the Forgotten Migs in the winter of 2016. Regrettably, luck was not on our side. Soon after out arrival, a car appeared. I only managed to get off a few shots. I had always planned to return, in the future when I may be revisiting Hungary.

Re-visiting the Forgotten MiGs – Winter 2019

During another trip to Hungary, we decided to revisit the aircraft. Again, luck wasn’t on our side. The rain was torrential, which made the long walk quite arduous. We were soaked through to the skin when we arrived at the aircraft. This time, I was determined to get more photos!