<p>New Delhi, Aug 25: A month before it flies into the sunset, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh for the last time has flown the legendary MiG-21 that served the Indian Air Forces for six decades and played a key role in India’s most emphatic war victory in 1971.</p><p>The Chief of the Air Staff visited Nal Air Force base in Rajasthan last week and flew an aircraft from 23 Squadron, the last squadron operating the Russian origin fighter jets.</p><p>The last two squadrons will retire on Sept 26 at a ceremonial event planned in Chandigarh.</p><p>Air Chief Marshal Singh flew a fighter sortie and also in a formation led by woman combat pilot Squadron Leader Priya, symbolising both tradition and transformation, an IAF official said, releasing the photos and videos here on Monday.</p>.'Had full freedom': IAF chief praises 'political will' during Op Sindoor.<p>“My first experience was in 1985, I went to Tezpur and we flew the Type 77, one of the MiG-21 types. After flying the Kirans, it was a revelation that an aircraft could feel like this. It's an amazing aircraft to fly, very agile, very manoeuverable and has a very simple design,” he said.</p><p>The IAF Chief said flying MiG-21 required some kind of initial training to get used to it and at maximum reheat, it could climb more than 200-250 meters per second.</p><p>In the absence of an advanced jet trainer, IAF pilots trained in Kiran aircraft for years were asked to fly the mighty jet with a landing speed of more than 300 km per hour.</p><p>Such a gap in training norms, according to experts, is one of the principal reasons for a high accident rate of MiG-21 because of which the aircraft got the moniker of “flying coffin” and “widow-maker.”</p><p>“It is one aircraft that is going to be missed by people who have flown it. But we have to move on as the technology is old and its very difficult to maintain. We've decided to call it a day for this aircraft,” he said.</p><p>MiG-21 was inducted in the IAF in 1963 and the first unit, 28 Squadron, was raised in Chandigarh. The MiG-21 being the first supersonic aircraft, the squadron was called the First Supersonic.</p><p>The aircraft had a limited role in the 1965 war, but was in full action in the 1971 campaign when MiG-21s were operationally deployed in all squadrons.</p><p>The most important strike was on the Governor's residence in Dhaka – then in East Pakistan - on December 14.</p><p>A day later the Governor resigned and on December 16, Pakistan surrendered with 93,000 soldiers laying down their arms.</p><p>"MiG-21 has a history of shooting down all generations of aircraft. And the last one was the F-16 (Balakot air strike), which was shot down. It had also shot down, in the 1971 war, the F-104s. The way IAF has utilised the MiG-21 operationally, none of the air forces in the world have,” said Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, IAF spokesperson and a MiG-21 pilot.</p>
<p>New Delhi, Aug 25: A month before it flies into the sunset, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh for the last time has flown the legendary MiG-21 that served the Indian Air Forces for six decades and played a key role in India’s most emphatic war victory in 1971.</p><p>The Chief of the Air Staff visited Nal Air Force base in Rajasthan last week and flew an aircraft from 23 Squadron, the last squadron operating the Russian origin fighter jets.</p><p>The last two squadrons will retire on Sept 26 at a ceremonial event planned in Chandigarh.</p><p>Air Chief Marshal Singh flew a fighter sortie and also in a formation led by woman combat pilot Squadron Leader Priya, symbolising both tradition and transformation, an IAF official said, releasing the photos and videos here on Monday.</p>.'Had full freedom': IAF chief praises 'political will' during Op Sindoor.<p>“My first experience was in 1985, I went to Tezpur and we flew the Type 77, one of the MiG-21 types. After flying the Kirans, it was a revelation that an aircraft could feel like this. It's an amazing aircraft to fly, very agile, very manoeuverable and has a very simple design,” he said.</p><p>The IAF Chief said flying MiG-21 required some kind of initial training to get used to it and at maximum reheat, it could climb more than 200-250 meters per second.</p><p>In the absence of an advanced jet trainer, IAF pilots trained in Kiran aircraft for years were asked to fly the mighty jet with a landing speed of more than 300 km per hour.</p><p>Such a gap in training norms, according to experts, is one of the principal reasons for a high accident rate of MiG-21 because of which the aircraft got the moniker of “flying coffin” and “widow-maker.”</p><p>“It is one aircraft that is going to be missed by people who have flown it. But we have to move on as the technology is old and its very difficult to maintain. We've decided to call it a day for this aircraft,” he said.</p><p>MiG-21 was inducted in the IAF in 1963 and the first unit, 28 Squadron, was raised in Chandigarh. The MiG-21 being the first supersonic aircraft, the squadron was called the First Supersonic.</p><p>The aircraft had a limited role in the 1965 war, but was in full action in the 1971 campaign when MiG-21s were operationally deployed in all squadrons.</p><p>The most important strike was on the Governor's residence in Dhaka – then in East Pakistan - on December 14.</p><p>A day later the Governor resigned and on December 16, Pakistan surrendered with 93,000 soldiers laying down their arms.</p><p>"MiG-21 has a history of shooting down all generations of aircraft. And the last one was the F-16 (Balakot air strike), which was shot down. It had also shot down, in the 1971 war, the F-104s. The way IAF has utilised the MiG-21 operationally, none of the air forces in the world have,” said Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, IAF spokesperson and a MiG-21 pilot.</p>
