CHANDIGARH, Sep 24: The legendary Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets, which have been the backbone of Indian Air Force’s combat fleet for over six decades, are finally set to retire from the IAF at a decommissioning event in Chandigarh, where the iconic aircraft was first inducted over six decades ago.
The official culmination of MiG-21 operations is set for September 26 with a ceremonial flypast and decommissioning event, marking the closure of a historic chapter in India’s air power.
The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to number 23 Squadron nicknamed “Panthers”, will be given a farewell at the decommissioning ceremony at the Chandigarh Air Force station.
On Friday, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, will fly the last sortie of the Squadron with the call sign ‘Badal 3’.
Dilbagh Singh, who became the IAF chief in 1981, had led the first MiG-21 Squadron here in 1963.
In a recent post on X about the retiring Mig-21s, the IAF said, “Six decades of service, countless tales of courage, a warhorse that carried pride of a nation into the skies”.
A full dress rehearsal for this ceremony was held at the IAF station here on Wednesday.
The MiG-21 fighter jets used to be the mainstay of the IAF for a long period of time. After its first induction, the IAF procured over 870 MiG-21s to boost its overall combat prowess.
The supersonic jets were the dominant platforms during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.
The aircraft also played a key role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as 2019 Balakot airstrikes.
However, the IAF’s workhorse, the MiG-21 aircrafts, were also involved in multiple crashes in the last six decades, with spotlight many times being on the safety record of the ageing fleet of the Soviet-origin aircraft. (PTI)
