The French Mirage III and Soviet MiG-21 were both designed and built almost along the exact same time lines. Given the engine technology of the time and the intended uses of these planes as interceptors, it's no real surprise both have very similar size and performance. Which then, is the better plane? That is what the Duel Series is supposed to identify.



What I liked - if you read carefully, the author states the Mirage was better in the horizontal battle, the MiG-21 had a greater thrust to weight ratio, so it was better suited to the vertical battle. The French designed computer and radar were extremely unreliable and both fighters had to rely on manual means of aiming cannon. The Air to Air missiles of both sides were very primitive and virtually useless. Almost all of the Mirage kills came with the cannon. And here is the largest single difference of the two planes - the Mirage had 2x30mm cannon with 250 rounds. The MiG -21 had 1x30mm cannon with 30 rounds.



I really liked the color diagrams of the cockpits. There are some color photos; the B&W are clear & crisp. Brief history of both planes design, technical facts, some narratives of Israeli pilot's combat experiences. It certainly helped the Israelis that they were able to acquire a MiG-21 and test fly it prior to the 1967 war.



Downsides to the book - objectivity of the author lurks in the background, as well as very few narratives or perspectives from the Arab side. Why did the author chose to limit the comparison of these two planes by stopping at 1967? You may also want to read Osprey's Arab MiG- 19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat. That gives the Arab view of these combats. Later versions of the MiG-21 had better cannon and more successes against the Mirage III.



I would prefer the book address how each plane performed against the other throughout the entire career. Since this was largely a collection of stories from Israeli fighter pilots, it makes it look as if the Mirage III were vastly superior. These omissions are why I rated the book three stars. Superior training, tactics and aggressive pilots will always trump your opponent. What we're looking for here is an answer as to which is the better weapon. Ultimately, I think the authors are correct, but they overlook a lot of factors in arriving at the conclusion.