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Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Meet Retired Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal, who flew India's first supersonic fighter jet into the country
A veteran recalls the beginning A new era in air power Live Events Logbook of the first solo flying on a MiG-21 by Air Marshal Brijesh Dhar Jayal, then a young Flight Lieutenant, in January 1963 at Lugovaya Airbase, Russia Training in the USSR Flying coffin label rejected Looking back at the MiG-21's service (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Indian Air Force 's first supersonic fighter, the MiG-21 , which has served for approximately 62 years, is preparing for its final flight this year. The aircraft will be replaced by the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk-1A and Tejas Mk-2, which are expected to form the backbone of India's fighter fleet in the coming India, the jet was assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with more than 1,200 MiG-21s having worn IAF Marshal (retd) Brijesh Dhar Jayal, one of the first eight IAF pilots trained to fly the MiG-21 in the Soviet Union, recalled his first solo flight on the supersonic fighter in 1963, calling it 'the beginning of a lifelong bond.' Now 90 and living in Dehradun, Jayal is among the last surviving members of the pioneering batch that introduced the aircraft into Indian January 1963, at Lugovaya airbase in Kazakhstan, Jayal climbed into the cockpit of the MiG-21 for the first time. Thundering down the runway at 300 kmph, the jet lifted into the sky, marking the first solo MiG-21 flight by an IAF same year, Jayal co-founded No. 28 Squadron, the IAF's first MiG-21 unit. He flew the first brand-new jet from Mumbai, where Russian technicians assembled the aircraft, to Chandigarh after a stopover in was selected in October 1962 along with Wing Commander Dilbagh Singh, Squadron Leaders M S D Wollen and S K Mehra, and Flight Lieutenants A K Mukherjee, H S Gill, A K Sen and D Keelor. The group underwent four months of training in the Soviet Union, starting with six weeks of Russian language lessons and technical instruction.'For the first six weeks, we didn't even see the aircraft. We were immersed in learning Russian and studying the MiG's systems in detail,' Jayal recalled. All radio communication was required to be in Russian. Training took place in sub-zero conditions, often dropping to minus 20 degrees off from the outside world, the pilots only learned about the 1962 India-China war after their liaison officer mentioned it. Later, after negotiations, they managed to access radio broadcasts from AIR Indian pilots initially trained on the MiG-15 and MiG-17 before transitioning to the MiG-21. According to Jayal, the Soviet training system was rigorous. 'One must be grateful to the Soviet Union for having sustained a robust IAF by equipping it during a period of shortage of both resources and foreign exchange,' he the decades, the MiG-21 has been called the 'flying coffin' due to its accident record. Jayal dismissed this description as 'utter nonsense and completely unfair.''We had more MiG-21 squadrons than any other type, so naturally they featured more in accident statistics. But combat flying is not like driving a car — you cannot expect zero accidents. If you compare accident rates per 10,000 hours of flying, we were still better than many other air forces,' he said that while the MiG-21 was cutting-edge in its time, its design dated to the 1950s. 'Like all good things, it must end. We have overused it, and technology has moved on. But in its time, it was cutting edge,' he him, the jet's story was one of distinction. 'It flew more, fought more, and served India with distinction. It was never a coffin, but a warrior. It never let us down in any war, any combat,' Jayal said.(With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Retired Air Marshal says MiG-21 was not a 'Flying Coffin', recalls how it beat four US fighter jets in Pakistan
MiG-21 vs 4 Pakistani F-86 fighter jets The fighter that shaped generations Live Events MiG-21: Training and adaptation Preparing for war Flying Coffin The future of MiG-21 (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The sun is finally setting on the MiG-21 , the Indian Air Force 's first supersonic jet fighter that has served for more than six decades. As the aircraft prepares for its final flight on September 19 at the Chandigarh airbase, one of its earliest pilots recalls how the jet once saved his life when four Pakistani fighters chased him during a Marshal (retd) Prithvi Singh Brar had just dropped two 500kg bombs on Pakistan's Rafiqul air base in 1971 and was heading back when four US-made F-86 Sabres appeared on his tail. 'The odds weren't good,' he told TOI with a chuckle from his Chandigarh home. 'I thought I was seconds away from death.' Years of training and instinct took over. Fighting crushing g-forces, he pushed his jet to its limits, stretching every rivet and bolt. 'The Pak jets dropped out. They couldn't keep up,' he said, pride still clear after 54 years. His MiG-21 brought him Brar, who later rose to become Vice-Chief of Air Staff, the MiG-21 was more than a machine. 'I love the MiG-21, it never let us down in operations,' he told TOI. 'When you fly an aircraft, you fly because you love it. It's like a sport.' Now 86, he first flew the jet over Chandigarh in 1966 and flew it for the last time in 2000, just two days before his in India in 1963, the MiG-21 was assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after being designed by Soviet manufacturer Mikoyan-Gurevich. More than 1,200 were produced for the IAF . The aircraft served in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, the 1999 Kargil War, and in 2019, when a MiG-21 Bison flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan shot down a Pakistani F-16, a claim Pakistan was among the first batch of Indian pilots trained on the MiG-21 in 1966, initially under 45 Squadron, which had trained in Russia. 'It was a supersonic delta-wing aircraft, which used to land at speeds of 330 kmph,' he told TOI. After training, his group joined No.1 Squadron in Adampur with new aircraft and adapted it to Indian conditions. 'We became a group of people who knew how to make the most of it.'At Adampur, pilots practised bombing and rocketing missions. Brar recalled an incident when a fellow pilot suffered an engine failure but still landed safely — a testament to the aircraft's design. A Tactics and Combat Development Squadron was set up there in 1970 to refine 1971, as war loomed, training intensified. 'It was the first time a single-engine, single-pilot aircraft was used for night flying,' Brar told TOI. Pilots flew sorties from Hindon to Amritsar for nearly six months before the conflict. When war began in December, the MiG-21 became a decisive factor. 'It was because of our training and the reliability and speed of MiG-21 that we could bomb several airbases of Pakistan. We surprised everybody with the MiG-21,' he also spent time in Iraq on a special assignment, training Iraqi pilots on the MiG-21's long service has been shadowed by its reputation. Over 200 IAF pilots lost their lives in crashes of different variants, leading to grim nicknames such as 'Flying Coffin' and 'Widow Maker.' Brar rejected these labels. 'The term 'flying coffin' was coined by the media — to convey the grief of a pilot's mother or wife — while covering an unfortunate incident. It was never how we, the pilots, saw the aircraft,' he told TOI. He insisted the IAF's accident rate has never been worse than that of the US or European air its peak, the IAF operated 400 MiG-21s across 19 squadrons. Variants such as the MiG-21FL, MiG-21M/MF and MiG-21bis served for decades, with more than 100 later upgraded to the 'Bison' standard. Between 2017 and 2024, at least four squadrons were phased out. Originally set for retirement in 2022, the timeline was extended due to delays in inducting the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Now, the IAF will replace the MiG-21 with the Tejas Mk1A and the Tejas Mk2, ensuring continuity with a new generation of indigenous said its retirement is overdue. 'An aircraft is made of certain material, which has a life. So, the aircraft was overdue for replacement,' he told TOI, adding that the Jaguar too should be phased out. Yet for him, the bond with the MiG-21 remains deeply personal. 'We learned to explore its best. It never let us down,' he said.(With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
When one MiG beat four US fighter jets: After 6 decades of service, IAF's icon prepares for final touchdown in Chandigarh
In exactly a month, the MiG-21 will make its final touchdown in Chandigarh after six decades of service in IAF. The pilots who've flown it and known it inside out say this legend will forever stay in their hearts CHANDIGARH: Dec 1971. An Indian fighter pilot has just dropped two 500kg bombs on Pakistan's Rafiqul air base and is peeling away for home when he realises there are four 'bandits' on his tail — US-made F-86 Sabres. 'The odds weren't good,' Air Marshal (retd) Prithvi Singh Brar chuckles. 'I thought I was seconds away from death,' he says, sitting in his Chandigarh home. But then, his instincts kicked in, years and years of pushing himself and his warbird beyond the limit. He gunned his jet and tore through the sky, putting every sinew, nerve and blood vessel, and every rivet, bolt and plate past breaking point. Fighting incredible g-forces, man and machine became one. 'The Pak jets dropped out. They couldn't keep up,' Brar says with pride undimmed by 54 years. His jet brought him home. That was the MiG-21. As the sun sets on MiG-21's service in Indian Air Force (IAF), the voices of those who trusted their lives to its cockpit offer a heartfelt narrative — not of a machine that inspired misigivings, but one that is remembered with gratitude and pride. Brar, one of India's seniormost pilots and former Vice-Chief of Air Staff, says the MiG-21 was not just a weapon of war but a buddy and a trusted companion — the proving ground for generations of fighter pilots. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Find your car's value online in minutes. Spinny Click Here Undo 'I love the MiG-21, it never let us down in operations,' says Brar. 'When you fly an aircraft, you fly because you love it. It's like a sport.' Now 86, he was one of the first pilots to be trained on the MiG-21. 'We learned to explore its best. We became a group of people who knew how to make the most of it. It never let us down,' he says. The IAF veteran's enduring bond with the MiG21 can be gauged from the fact that he first flew it over the skies of Chandigarh in 1966 and, for the last time, in 2000, just two days before his retirement. 'The term 'flying coffin' was coined by the media — to convey the grief of a pilot's mother or wife — while covering an unfortunate incident. It was never how we, the pilots, saw the aircraft,' he points out. As a young pilot in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Brar flew his MiG-21 from Amritsar into Pakistan territory, trusting his life and mission to the delta wings. Brar remembers when Pakistan bought its first supersonic Americanmade Starfighter. 'The fact that our neighbour had supersonic aircraft was an explosive situation. India approached Russia, and the MiG-21 arrived in the early sixties.' He was part of the No.1 Squadron in Adampur that shaped the MiG-21 in accordance with the needs of the IAF and Indian conditions. 'In July 1966, I, along with some selected pilots, was assigned to be trained on the MiG-21 at Chandigarh, where it was initially inducted with 28 Squadron in 1963,' he says. 'We were trained by 45-Squadron, which went to Russia for the initial induction. It was a supersonic delta-wing aircraft, which used to land at speeds of 330kmph. After initial training, we were moved to No.1 Squadron in Adampur with brand new MiG-21 aircraft. In those days, flying suits also came from Russia. After the Russian training, the No.1 Squadron became the first to train itself to become operational per their needs and conditions,' he explains. The pilots learned bombing and rocketing at Adampur. MiG-21 was designed for high speed, high altitudes, and to shoot down enemy aircraft with missiles, he says. At Adampur, one of the pilots suffered an engine failure during a training sortie but the MiG-21 was so good that it still landed safely, he recalls. A Tactic and Combat Development Squadron was established in Adampur in 1970. In April 1971, when war clouds started gathering, they were told to intensify training. 'It was the first time a single engine, single-pilot aircraft was used for night flying. We used to conduct sorties from Hindon to Amritsar. For almost six months, we did a lot of flying exercises before going to war in Dec 1971,' he said. 'It was because of our training and reliability and the speed of MiG-21 that we could bomb several airbases of Pakistan. We surprised everybody with the MiG-21,' Brar adds. Brar also trained Iraqi pilots on the MiG-21 when he was deployed in Iraq on a special assignment. Asked about its phasing out, Brar says every aircraft is designed for a certain number of years, service, and hours. 'An aircraft is made of certain material, which has a life. So, the aircraft was overdue for replacement. Jaguar should also be rejected now,' he says. As for the 'flying coffin' tag, nobody talks about its flying hours, he points out. 'IAF's accident rate has never been worse than that of the US and European air forces,' Brar adds. The workhorse Introduced in 1963, the MiG-21 — IAF's first supersonic jet fighter that's set to fly into the sunset on Sept 19 at Chandigarh airbase — combined speed, agility and lethal precision. Designed by the Soviet aircraft manufacturer Mikoyan-Gurevich, MiG-21 began production in 1959 and entered service the same year, going on to feature in the air forces of around 60 countries. In India, the jet was assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with more than 1,200 MiG-21s having worn IAF roundels. The IAF operated several variants, including the MiG-21FL (Type 77), MiG-21M/MF (Type 96), and the MiG-21bis (Type 75). Over 100 MiG-21s were modernised to the 'Bison' standard with advanced avionics, multi-function displays, and an electronic warfare suite. The MiG-21 served in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars and the 1999 Kargil War. During the 2019 border skirmish with Pakistan, Wing Commander Abhinandan's MiG-21 Bison shot down a Pakistani F-16, a claim Pakistan disputes. Yet, alongside its victories, the jet also picked up monikers like the 'Flying Coffin' and 'Widow Maker' owing to a string of fatal accidents. Over 200 IAF pilots are reported to have lost their lives in crashes of different MiG variants. At its peak, the IAF operated 400 MiG-21s in 19 squadrons. Between 2017 and 2024, at least four MiG21 squadrons were phased out. Although originally scheduled for retirement by 2022, the phasing out was delayed due to the slow induction of indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which is set to replace the MiG-21 squadrons. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
