MiG-21 Phase-Out Long Overdue

Come September, the Indian Air Force will retire its iconic MiG-21 fighter jets that protected Indian skies for over six decades. Introduced in 1963, when Western nations and India did not see eye to eye on many issues, the Soviet-origin MiG-21 became the bulwark of Indian defence and stood firm against Pakistani aggression in Kashmir and beyond.

The Soviet-made jet was India’s first supersonic fighter aircraft and the backbone of the IAF. From its limited role in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, the MiG evolved into a combat-ready platform. It served the nation exceptionally well in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Balakot airstrike.

Over six decades, India procured more than 700 MiG-21s in various variants — Type-77, Type-96, BIS and Bison — making it the most widely used fighter jet in the IAF’s history. Though the MiG was updated with new fighter aircraft technology, it could not overcome airframe limitations and an ageing engine, which resulted in frequent crashes.

Since its induction in 1963, over 400 MiG-21s have been lost in accidents, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 pilots and several civilians, earning it the unfortunate moniker of "flying coffin." In recent years, MiG-related accidents in July 2022 and May 2023 led to the deaths of Wing Commander M. Rana, Flight Lieutenant Advitiya Bal and three civilians.

Though the government had planned to phase out the two remaining MiG aircraft squadrons by 2022, the delay in the induction of the indigenous Tejas Mark 1A postponed the Russian jet’s retirement.

With the phase-out, the IAF will be left with only 29 squadrons against the sanctioned strength of at least 41 — far too few for a country that could face a two-front war. The government must urgently procure new advanced fighter jets.

To the MiG, India bids a final goodbye.