Shape
The inlet cone is shaped so that the shock wave that forms on its apex is directed to the lip of the intake; this allows the engine to operate properly in supersonic flight. As speed increases, the shock wave becomes increasingly more oblique (the cone gets narrower). As a result, some inlet cones (for example, on the SR-71) are designed to move axially to maintain the shock-on-lip and allow efficient operation over a wider range of flight speeds. On MiG-21 this movement also makes the opening between the intake (diffusor) lip and the cone smaller, preventing the inside of the intake section from bursting open from dynamic air overpressure at the aircraft's highest speeds above Mach 2.
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