History is made after 62 years of service MIG-21! Air Force Head will fill the last flight, know the full story of the bravery and controversies of this 'airplane'

The Indian Air Force MIG-21 fighter aircraft will retire today. The plane flies at 11 o’clock from Chandigarh Airport last time. Air Force Chief AP Singh itself will fly with six fighter jets of 23 squadron and the Squadron leader Priya Sharma will also join the Flypast. This will end the service of MIG-21 in the Indian Air Force. Tejas LCA Mark-1a will replace this aircraft. Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, CDS Anil Chauhan and the head of the three armies will attend the farewell ceremony of MIG-21. When did MIG-21 became part of the Indian Air Force? The MIG-21 is considered the ‘spine’ of the Indian Air Force. It was the first supersonic fighter plane of India, established by the then defense minister, VK Krishna Menon, in India. An agreement was signed in 1961 between Russia and India for the MIG-21 Series aircraft. In 1962, two squadrons of the plane joined the Air Force. The plane was first included in the Indian Air Force in April 1963. Since 1967, Mig-21 has been composed in India itself and the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has taken over. By 1980, India bought 872 MIG-21 fighters, of which about 400 crashed. As a result of these accidents, the use of these aircraft has now decreased. From the 1965 war to Operation Sindoor, the MIG-21 fighters served in the Indo-Pakistan War and Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in 1965. In the last phase, this fighter plane destroyed a Pakistani F-16 fighter plane. Initially, this fighter plane was used to destroy the enemy at a height, but later used for ground attacks. This aircraft can fly faster than sound speed (332 m per second). The velocity reaches Mac 2 so that it can reach the height within seconds. MIG-21 showed his unwavering courage in these campaigns. It is noteworthy that the MIG-21 fighter plane only participated in the war between India and Pakistan in 1965 and destroyed an American fighter aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force. During the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971, the plane destroyed several Pakistani air bases. During the Kargil war in 1999, the plane flew at night and destroyed the base of the enemy in the inaccessible hills of Kargil. During the Balakot Air Statement in 2019, group captain Abhinandan Current flew the Mig-21-Bison and destroyed a Pakistani F-16 fighter plane. During Operation Sindoor in 2025, MIG-21 also destroyed terrorist bases in Pakistan. Why is the MIG-21 ‘UDTA Coffin’ called? In the past 62 years, more than 400 fighter jets have crashed in the last 62 years, leading to more than 200 pilots. This is why the MIG-21 fighter plane is called the ‘Flying Coffin’ and ‘Widow Manufacturer’. The cause of accidents is that this aircraft is about 60 years old and that the technology is also outdated, causing its parts to grow old and becoming difficult to maintain. Share this story -tags