MiG-21 Retires After 62 Years of Service: Why the IAF’s Send-Off to the ‘Flying Coffin’ Matters

After 62 years of service, the Indian Air Force will bid farewell to the legendary MiG-21 fighter jet. The final aircraft will receive a ceremonial send-off on September 19 at the Chandigarh airbase, led by the 23 Squadron, also known as the Panthers.

Inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1963, the MiG-21 earned acclaim for its crucial role in key military operations, including the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, the 1999 Kargil conflict, the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, and Operation Sindoor.

In recent years, the aircraft was plagued by frequent crashes, over 400 incidents resulting in significant pilot casualties, leading to the jet controversially being labelled ‘flying coffin’.

India remains the largest operator of MiG-21s, which have undergone several upgrades since their induction in the 1960s. Despite these enhancements, the jets have long outlived their intended service life. The final variant in operation, the MiG-21 Bison, is set to be retired this September.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 was developed by the Soviet Union’s Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau. The supersonic fighter jet has been operated by nearly 60 countries around the world.

The service life of the MiG-21 fleet was repeatedly extended due to delays in the production and delivery of the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk1A, which is meant to replace the ageing jets.

The Indian Air Force currently operates two squadrons of MiG-21 Bison, totaling 31 aircraft. With the retirement of the MiG-21s, the Indian Air Force’s combat strength will decline to 29 squadrons, its lowest level since the 1960s. This figure falls short of the strength during the 1965 war and well below the IAF’s sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons.

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