MiG-21 takes final flight over Indian skies, marking historic farewell

The originally Soviet-designed Mikoyan-Gurevich 21, also known as the MiG-21, was decommissioned from service in India on Friday at the Chandigarh air base. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew a sortie of the MiG-21 Bison aircraft with call sign Badal 3. Describing the MiG-21 as a mighty machine and a national pride, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there was a deep attachment to the aircraft that shaped our confidence. 

Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first man on the International Space Station, former IAF chiefs A Y Tipnis, S P Tyagi and  B S Dhanoa, scores of veterans, many  who piloted the aircraft, were present  on the occasion.

 

Here are the milestones of the fighter jet that has served India for 62 years

 

1963: The first supersonic jet for India is inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), in Chandigarh, flown in by then-Wing Commander Dilbagh Singh (later Air Chief Marshal). 

1965: The MiG-21 is used for defensive sorties in the war against Pakistan 

1971: It participates in the bombing of the governor’s residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, leading to India’s victory in the Indo Pakistan war

 

1999: Attack and air patrols during the Kargil War, as part of Operation Safed Sagar (July) 

1999: Intercepts and shoots down a Pakistan Naval Anti-Submarine aircraft (August) 

2000s: A large number of MiG-21 crashes kill many fighter pilots and civilians, leading the media to dub the jet a “flying coffin” 

 

2019: Then-Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (now Group Captain) shoots down a fourth-generation F-16  jet during a dogfight after India’s Balakot airstrike  against Pakistan  2025: Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh lands the  jet in a farewell ceremony  in Chandigarh