End of an era: IAF's MiG-21 fighter jets to be phased out by September

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force is finally all set to bid adieu to MiG-21 combat jets that served the force for more than six decades.

“The IAF will phase out the MiG-21 fighter jets by September. The squadrons operating the aircraft are at Nal airbase in Rajasthan. The LCA-Mk1A will replace the MiG-21s in the IAF,” a defence official said.

According to reports, a decommissioning ceremony has been planned at Chandigarh on September 19, but there is no official word so far.

The retirement of MiG-21 jets was on the cards for quite some time as it was the first supersonic fighter aircraft inducted by the IAF in 1963.

It has participated in all major conflicts since then but in the last two decades, it earned the sobriquet of Flying Coffins because of frequent fatal accidents. Over 400 aircraft crashed in the last six decades killing more than 200 pilots.

Following a string of such accidents two decades ago, the demand for decommissioning the MiG-21s were so high, it forced the then Defence Minister George Fernandes to take a sortie in a MiG-21 trainer, making a public statement on the aircraft’s safety.

In its prime, the Russian-origin fighter jets played a stellar role in the 1971 Bangladesh war and were also instrumental during the Kargil conflict.

The aircraft was also used during the 2019 Balakot airstrike against terrorist camps in Pakistan. During the operation, one MiG-21 was downed, leading to the capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan.

The Indian MiG-21 fleet's service life was to end by the late 1990s, but the IAF upgraded these aircraft with new avionics and weapons. The force flew the upgraded MiG-21 BIS for another couple of decades.

The last two squadrons operate the MiG-21 Bison, the final variant of the single-engine workhorse.