The MiG-21 – that redoubtable warhorse of the Indian Air Force – will be phased out of active service by September, to be replaced by the newer and nimbler Tejas Mk1A fighter jets.
The IAF has 36 MiG-21 planes left in its arsenal, a far cry from the nearly 900 – of which around 660 were built in India – that protected the nation’s skies and territories. The MiG-21 first entered service in 1963, on a trial basis. The Russian-made jet went on to form the backbone of the Air Force till the mid-2000s, when the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs were brought in.
In July 2022 the Air Force had confirmed a three-year timeline to phase out the four remaining MiG-21 squadrons still in service. The plan also involves phasing out the MiG-29s by 2027. The phasing out of the MiG-21 fleet comes after numerous crashes involving the aging plane, including an incident in Rajasthan in May 2023 in which the three villagers were killed.
A senior Defence official has confirmed the development has said that the jets will be retired in September this year in a ceremonial send-off that will be held in Chandigarh air base. It will bringing a close to 62-year journey that began in 1963. The send-off ceremony will be attended by the veteran pilots who once flew the aircraft.
According to sources, there are plan to replace MiG-21 jets by the indigenously developed Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft. MiG-21 is a single engine supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft. It was backbone of the Air Force till the mid-2000s, when the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs were brought in.
The last remaining squadrons of the MiG-21s are currently stationed at the Nal air base in Rajasthan. As per records, in incidents related to MiG-21s in the last 60 years, around 170 pilots and 40 civilians were killed. They were once termed as ‘Flying Coffin’ due to series of fatal incidents.
After the current squadrons of MiG 21 was phased out, the IAF’s combat strength will drop to 29 squadrons the lowest ever until it gets replaced by indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas squadrons.