MiG-21 FL: The month of October 1970 when India created its first indigenous supersonic fighter

New Delhi, October 18 (IANS). That October month of 1970 was not only a date in Indian defense history but proved the first and biggest litmus test of ‘self-reliance’. On that day, the first fully indigenous supersonic fighter, the MiG-21 (MiG-21FL, Type 77), forged by the sweat and determination of the engineers of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was proudly inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet. It wasn’t just a ‘handover’; It was the roar of unwavering determination to break foreign chains that laid the foundation of the Indian aviation ecosystem. Immediately after independence, India was surrounded by regional security challenges. When Pakistan acquired North American F-86 Sabers from the US in 1956, and later added the advanced Lockheed F-104 Starfighter to its fleet, the Indian Air Force was left with a serious ‘jet gap’. F-104 was an aircraft with Mach 2.0 Plus capability, against which India had no direct competition. This geopolitical imperative forced India to turn away from the West’s traditional arms suppliers and turn to the Soviet Union. This was a strategic change that ushered in a new era of Soviet fighter dominance in the Indian Air Force. The China War of 1962 transformed this need into a compulsion to acquire a capable technology ‘as soon as possible’. Under this strategic compulsion, the Soviet-built MiG-21F-13 version became the first supersonic fighter of the Indian Air Force in 1963. The license production agreement with the Soviet Union in 1962–64 was not just an agreement to buy aircraft, but a masterstroke of technology transfer. Not only did the deal contain comprehensive plans for the production of MiG-21 airframes, powerful R-11 jet engines and Ka-13 air-to-air missiles, but it also gave the option to pay in local currency (rupees-rubles). Most importantly, it offered ‘license production’ in India. This technological integration made a lasting investment in India’s industrial base. However, the decision to adopt the MiG-21 was a major blow to India’s ambitious indigenous dream, the Dr. Kurt Tank designed HAL HF-24 Marut program. The Marut was designed to be Mach 2 capable, but the failure to obtain a suitable advanced engine meant it remained a subsonic aircraft. After 1962, the country’s strategic focus shifted to Mach 2 capability, effectively sidelining the Marut project. Strategic necessity overcame long-term progress of indigenous design. The Soviet plan for license production of the MiG-21 established an unprecedented industrial infrastructure in India known as the ‘MiG complex’. The complex was the birthplace of modern India’s aerospace industrial ecosystem, hinged on three strategically important plants. Nashik Airframe Factory, which remains the hub of fighter aircraft manufacturing to date. Koraput is an engine factory for the production of complex engines such as the R-11 jet engine. Hyderabad, which is an electronics factory for avionics and other sensitive electronic systems. The MiG-21 program adopted a cautious phased technology uptake strategy. In the early years (1966–1969) assembly of imported components (CKD/SKD kits) was done. Intelligence reports considered this ‘overly optimistic’, but HAL engineers and technicians quashed these fears. The first MiG-21FL (Type 77) aircraft built completely from scratch in India by HAL has been officially handed over to the IAF. This milestone represented the beginning of complete component manufacturing within the country. Equipped with advanced R2L radar and improved avionics, the Type 77, with a maximum speed of Mach 2.05, proved to be a game changer for the IAF. The start of full indigenous production in October 1970 enabled the Indian Air Force to increase its strength before the 1971 war. This capability ensured that the IAF could maintain its combat power in a major conflict without relying on international sanctions or import blackouts. By 1987, HAL achieved spectacular success by indigenizing over 600 units in various variants and by the 1990s over 60 percent indigenization of MiG-21 components was achieved, including critical parts such as landing gear and ejection seats. That moment in 1970 was India’s first great leap towards technological self-reliance. The MiG-21 established HAL as not only an aircraft assembler but also a supersonic manufacturing superpower. –IANS VKU/DKP