Why Decommissioning of MiG-21, 'Backbone of the IAF', Leaves a Hole in India's Air Power

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force's MiG-21, the country's first supersonic fighter, roared in the Indian skies for one last time on Friday, leaving an enduring legacy and countless stories in its illustrious trail. The retirement of the Soviet-era machines further depletes the IAF's dwindling fighter squadron strength. MiG-21 took part in wars in 1965 and 1971, and the 1999 Kargil conflict, as well as the 2019 Balakot strike.Addressing the decommissioning ceremony in Chandigarh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the MiG-21 "deeply embedded in the memories and emotions of our country". "Since 1963, when the MiG-21 first joined us, this journey of more than 60 years up to today is unmatched in itself. The MiG-21 has shaped our confidence, strengthened

our strategy, and helped us establish ourselves on the global stage. In such a long journey, this fighter jet has faced every challenge and proved its capability every time," he said.The MiG-21 aircraft being flown by the Air Force have always been kept technically updated, he said."The MiG-21 aircraft we were flying until now were at most 40 years old. A 40-year lifetime is completely normal by the standards of such aircraft. In many countries, such fighter jets are kept active for just that much time. But a special thing about the MiG-21 is that it has always been kept technically updated. The MiG-21 that we are seeing has also been known by names like Trishul, Vikram, Badal, and Bison. Its current form was updated," he said.MiG-21 Gave the IAF Wings, it Never had BeforeThe MiG-21 entered service in 1963 as the IAF’s premier interceptor — a fighter designed for defensive air-to-air combat to ‘intercept’ enemy aircraft. A legendary icon of the Indian Air Force, the MiG-21s have proved their mettle in several of India's conflicts, including the 1965 India-Pakistan War, the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and the 1999 Kargil conflict.In total, India procured more than 700 MiG-21s of different variants from Russia. The most recent - 'Bison' (BIS) variant - boasts modern avionics and radar, and advanced missiles. The IAF has upgraded more than 100 MiG-21s to BIS specs since 2006, as per the Indian Express.

The BIS upgrades, however, did not address the issue with the aircraft's engines, which, over the years, gained notoreity for flaming out without notice. As per government data, at least 170 pilots in more than 500 MiG-21s crashes in the last 60 years. More than 20 aircraft have crashed since 2010.That said, many senior IAF officers, said use of phrases like 'flying coffin' to describe an aircraft is not appropriate."It also hits the morale of family members of pilots, if such terms are used to describe an aircraft they may be flying," a pilot who wished not to be identified said, according to news agecny PTI.Veteran pilot and former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis (retd) says the MiG-21 "taught us how to be innovative and produce results"."When the MiG-21 came to us, the first type that came to us was the Type-74, there were no trainers at that time. The first solo was on MiG-21 itself. Difficulty was that not only there was no trainer, no simulator, but also in the entire cockpit, nothing was written in English, it was all in Russian," Tipnis, who took over as the Commanding Officer of No. 23 Squadron equipped with MiG-21 Bis aircraft, said in a recorded video podcast shared by the IAF on X a day ahead of the high-profile decommissioning ceremony in Chandigarh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEwxfXrE4_A

The veteran air warrior also shared that "in MiG-21, we were all flying in spacesuits, believe it or not".Both veterans and current air warriors agree that these were jets that "defined generations of pilots"."By no means, the MiG-21 is designed for low-flying, because the visibility forward, sideward is limited. The IAF, the way it adapted to low-level flying at night, was a remarkable achievement. The adaptation for this purpose was outstanding," Tipnis added.Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) in the podcast says, for over six decades, the MiG-21 has been a "backbone of the IAF", and "an icon, a trusted companion in war and peace, and a proving ground for generations of fighter pilots".The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to Squadron No. 23 and nicknamed "Panthers", will be given a farewell at the ceremony to be held at the Chandigarh Air Force station.As part of the symbolic farewell, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh flew solo sorties of the MiG-21 from Nal air base on August 18-19, marking an emotional moment for the force and for generations of pilots trained on the Russian-origin fighter jet that served the force for 62 years.Grp Capt Nanda Rajender, Commanding Officer of Squadron No. 23, who has flown MiG-21 and MiG-21 Bison aircraft, says, "From being the most advanced fighter in the 1965 war and 1971 war, it has been in the vanguard of all military actions by India. Even during Operation Sindoor, it was a legacy fighter, however, it was tasked for ORP (Operational Readiness Platform) duties, and we were ready to defend the skies if the demand was raised."In the podcast, Air Commodore Sathe (retd) quoted the late veteran air warrior P C Lal, later IAF chief, who had said, "The MiG-21 gave the IAF wings, it never had before."And, on Friday, the last of these machines, carrying the weight of history on their wings, will fly into the sunset.MIG-21 Retirement Brings New Challenge before IAF: Dwindling Squadron StrengthThe IAF is now down to a fighter squadron strength of 29, less than 70% of the Air Force’s sanctioned fighter squadron strength of 42, according to the Indian Express.The depleted strength may affect India aerial prowess in case of a two-front conflict with Pakistan and China, experts say. Pakistan is estimated to maintain fighter squadron strength of 20-25, whereas China is believed to have an estimated fighter squadron strength of more than 60. A squadron comprises 16-18 jets.Experts warn that the IAF’s squadron strength may continue to go down, with many of IAF's older jets, including MiG-29s, Jaguars, and Mirage 2000s, set to be phased out by 2035.Therefore, there is an increasing need to establish a robust air defence, and induct capable surface-to-air and surface-to-surface weapon systems.