The Indian Air Force will formally retire its last MiG-21 fighter jet on September 19, ending a six-decade legacy. However, this will reduce the IAF’s combat strength to its lowest in the past six decades.AdvertisementThe IAF, through advertisements in newspapers, has invited veterans to join in the phasing-out ceremony of the MiG-21 at the Chandigarh Air base on September 19.The IAF has two MiG-21 squadrons and the phase out would reduce the number of fighter jet squadrons to 29, the lowest in six decades, said sources.Ceremony at ChandigarhThe MiG-21 phase-out ceremony will be held at Chandigarh air base, where the first six MiG-21s arrived in April 1963. Since then, India has sourced 874 MiG-21sThe jet has been part of key operations, including the 1971 Bangladesh war and 1999 Kargil conflict. In all, 490 MiG 21s were involved in accidents, killing over 170 pilotsAs per a decision of the Cabinet Cabinet on Security (CCS), the IAF needs 42 squadrons of 16-18 jets for a two-front collusive war with Pakistan and China. The induction of the Tejas Mark-1A fighter jet, aimed at bolstering the numbers, has been delayed. Deliveries of the jet were to start in March 2024 with at least 16 planes to be delivered to IAF every year. So far, not a single Tejas Mark-1A has been delivered by the manufacturer, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Six air frames of the Tejas Mark-1A were displayed when PK Mishra Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister reviewed key projects of HAL at Bengaluru on July 8.Ironically, the MiG-21 phase-out ceremony will be held at Chandigarh, the same air base where the first six MiG-21s arrived in April 1963 and became part of the IAF squadron named ‘The first supersonics’. The planes had been received at Mumbai in a disassembled condition and had been put together by a team of Soviet engineers and were test flown by their pilots.Since 1963, India has sourced 874 MiG-21s, 657 of these being HAL licence-produced. Over the years, avionics, missiles and radars were upgraded with newer versions.Over the past 62 years, the aircraft, including all variants flown by the IAF, have been part of various operations, including the 1971 Bangladesh war, 1999 Kargil conflict and the most recent air duel after the Balakote airstrike. Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was flying a MiG-21.In all, nearly 490 MiG 21s were involved in accidents or crashes, killing over 170 pilots. The IAF planned to have a replacement for MiG-21 ready by 1994. The last variant of the MiG-21 Bis was produced in 1985.The original MiG-21 was a point defence fighter and until the MiG-21 Bis variant was inducted into the IAF, the jet was designed for air-to-air combat and that too within the visual range of the pilot using short-range air-to-air missiles. The MiG-21 was developed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the former Soviet Union and took its maiden flight in 1955.
MiG-21 to be phased out in September; IAF’s fighter jet squadrons to reduce to 29, the lowest in six decades
