Indian Air Force MiG-21 retirement: The Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets — which have helped India win wars but also earned the dubious label of ‘the flying coffin’ due to several fatal accidents — are set to be phased out of service in September this year. The Indian Air Force had earlier announced plans to replace the squadrons with the indigenously developed Tejas Mark-1A aircraft.

Sources in the military confirmed to The Indian Express that the Indian Air Force is set to retire the remaining Russian-origin MiG-21 fleet in a ceremonial decommissioning on September 19 at the Chandigarh airbase.

What is the MIG-21 aircraft?

The MiG-21s are among the six fighter jets flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF), and have for long been the backbone of the IAF.

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The MiG-21s are single engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack aircraft. While they were first inducted in 1963 as an interceptor aircraft, over the next few decades they were upgraded to perform a variety of roles performed by a fighter aircraft, including ground attack.

India has procured over 700 MiG-21 aircraft of different variants since then, such as the Type-77, Type-96 and the BIS. The latest of them are the MiG-21 Bison, which is an upgraded aircraft with advanced missiles and radars and better avionics. Over a 100 MiG-21s with the IAF have been upgraded to Bison since 2006.

The aircraft have proved their mettle in several wars fought by India.

For instance, in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the MiG-21s (Type 77 variant) had played a major role in swaying the war’s result in India’s favour.

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The combat jet was also among the mainstay of the IAF in the 1965 war and the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.

In 2019, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (then a Wing Commander) of the erstwhile Srinagar-based No 51 squadron was flying a MiG-21 Bison when he downed a F-16 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.

MiG accidents and causes

As per government data, over 500 MiG-21s have crashed in the last 60 years, killing over 170 pilots. More than 20 aircraft have crashed since 2010. In fact, in the very first year of its induction in 1963, two of the Soviet-era aircraft had crashed.

In May 2023, a MiG-21 fighter jet of the IAF crashed near Rajasthan’s Suratgarh while it was on a routine operational training sortie. While the pilot sustained minor injuries after ejection, the aircraft wreckage fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh district in the state, killing three civilians.

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In July 2022, a trainer version of the fighter aircraft crashed, killing two pilots on board.

In 2021, five MiG-21 Bison crashes killed three pilots.

The reasons for the crashes have been several — ranging from technical defects, human error, bird hits or spatial disorientation of pilots in certain circumstances.

What is the phase-out plan of the aircraft?

There are three squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF. Each squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft, aside from one or two trainer versions.

In September 2022, the decorated Srinagar-based No 51 squadron was number plated, or retired. The three MiG-21 Bison squadrons are planned to be phased out now.

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Why does the IAF continue flying the MiG aircraft?

The IAF has a sanctioned squadron strength of 42, even as its current squadron strength is around 30.

Phasing out the fighter jets earlier would bring down the IAF’s fighter squadron strength at dangerously low levels, especially till they are replaced by the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas squadrons.

Senior IAF officers, particularly those who have flown the aircraft, have often said the aircraft does not have an abysmal safety record when compared to the number of flying hours and the years in service.

What is the history of their induction?

In 1963, the induction of a supersonic aircraft in the IAF was a pressing need, given the 1962 war with China and tensions with Pakistan. The USA had already supplied one of its newest aircraft, the F-104 Starfighter, to Pakistan, and there was considerable anxiety in the political and military leadership in India.

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The F-104 had also been considered by the IAF for induction, but the US was not very keen to supply them in large numbers in order to keep a balance between India and Pakistan. Incidentally, the F-104 Starfighter went on to be known as ‘The Widowmaker’.

The first six MiG-21s arrived in Chandigarh in April 1963 after they were flown from No.2 Equipment Depot Bombay to Chandigarh via Agra. They were earlier received in Bombay in a disassembled condition and had been put together by a team of Soviet engineers and were test flown by their pilots.

What has been the representation of MiG-21 in popular culture?

In September 2001, a MiG-21 crash in Suratgarh claimed the life of Flight Lieutenant Abhijeet Gadgil soon after take-off. There was a controversy when the pilot’s mother, Kavita Gadgil, raised the issue of technical defects in the aircraft and said that her son was being wrongly blamed for the crash.

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She received a letter from the then Inspector General of Flight Safety of IAF, Air Marshal Ashok Goyal, accusing her of demoralising the IAF with her statements. The then Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, apologised for the tone of the letter and wrote to Kavita Gadgil withdrawing it and absolving her son of any blame.

The struggle of Kavita Gadgil to highlight safety issues with the MiG-21 aircraft led to the inclusion of her story in the Hindi Movie ‘Rang De Basanti’, which was released in 2006 and went on to become a blockbuster.