Vietnam AF plans to convert Soviet era Mig-21 aircraft into unmanned drones to serve as target drones or even as combat UAVs.
So far, research has been carried out on how to have the drone (MiG-21) automatically land properly, Viet Defence publication reported on its Facebook page. No details of which agency in Vietnam was doing the conversion job has been given.
Converting these old interceptors into drones could benefit the Vietnam People’s Air Defense-Air Force providing a target large enough to conduct air defense exercises with the S-300 high altitude air defense missile system along with being used for attack purposes, the report said.
Although all Vietnamese MiG-21s were retired by 2010 & grounded, most are still in storage within hangers across the country.