MiG-21's final flight may put private defence firms on frontline amid HAL's drag

Time of India

23-07-2025

Remember Rang De Basanti? The 2006 film that shook a generation awake with its raw, patriotic fury. A group of Delhi college students, playing freedom fighters in a documentary, are jolted into action after their friend, a MiG-21 pilot, dies in a crash.
That fictional pilot, Flight Lt. Ajay Rathod, became a symbol for a very real crisis playing out in India's skies.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
Artificial Intelligence
Leadership
Design Thinking
Cybersecurity
Others
Technology
PGDM
CXO
Data Science
Finance
Digital Marketing
MBA
Product Management
Management
Degree
healthcare
Public Policy
Healthcare
others
Data Science
Operations Management
MCA
Data Analytics
Project Management
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
7 Months
S P Jain Institute of Management and Research
CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
That crisis didn't end with the credits. In May 2023, seventeen years after the film's release, a MiG-21 crashed in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. The pilot ejected in time, but the jet ploughed into a house, killing three civilians on the ground.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
20 Pieces of Clothing Older Women should Avoid
womentales.com
Learn More
It was yet another grim reminder that what was seen as a cinematic tragedy had long become a recurring headline.
Now, the 'flying coffin,' as the MiG-21 came to be known, is finally nearing the end of its long, turbulent service. The
Indian Air Force
's No. 23 Squadron is set to phase out its remaining Bisons by September 19.
Live Events
After six decades in the air, and far too many avoidable losses, the last of these Cold War-era fighters will make their final flight in a farewell ceremony at Chandigarh, according to Economic Times.
This isn't just the retirement of an aircraft. It marks the end of a chapter defined by aging platforms, stalled defence modernisation, and a persistent gap between ambition and action.
A legacy writ large, and largely troubled
Inducted in 1963, the MiG-21 was India's first supersonic fighter jet, and it changed everything. It brought the Indian Air Force into the jet age and went on to serve in every major conflict: the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, the Kargil conflict in 1999, and even the Balakot airstrikes in 2019.
As per ET, the MiG-21 has been a part of every major Indian military engagement. Over 850 were acquired, India's largest-ever fighter fleet, with nearly 600 assembled domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
Aviation expert Angad Singh summed it up as: 'No other fighter has been associated with the IAF for as long as the MiG-21, an incredible two-thirds of the IAF's 93-year history is inextricably linked to this jet.'
For many in uniform and beyond, it's an emotional farewell to a legend of Indian skies.
But behind that combat record is a darker legacy. Nicknamed the 'Flying Coffin,' the MiG-21 became notorious for its crash record. Dozens of pilots lost their lives. The jet stayed in service long after it should've been retired, largely because no replacements were available.
The original plan was to phase out the MiG-21s and replace them with the indigenous Tejas Mk-1A. But delays, both in manufacturing and engine supply, repeatedly pushed that schedule back.
Tejas is here… If it ever arrives
In February 2021, the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 48,000 crore contract with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets. The first delivery was promised by March 2024.
That date came and went with not a single jet delivered.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, at the Confederation of Indian Industry's Annual Business Summit in 2025, didn't mince words: 'Timeline is a big issue.' It was his second public warning, earlier this year, he urged the defence industry 'not to make promises it cannot deliver on time.'
HAL pointed to engine delays from GE Aerospace as the main bottleneck. There's merit to that. According to India Today, the first F404-IN20 engine under a $716 million contract for 99 engines was delivered only in March 2025, nearly two years late.
Shawn Warren, GE Aerospace's GM for Combat & Trainer Engines, called it a 'milestone' and said it would 'ensure a strong future for India's military.' But for HAL, that was just the start of a frantic race to meet deadlines.
As of mid-2025, HAL had received only one engine. Twelve more are expected by March 2026. HAL Chairman Dr. D.K. Sunil confirmed to PTI Videos that six jets are ready, but can't fly without engines. 'They were to deliver the engines in 2023. Till date, we have got only one engine,' he said, adding that deliveries can begin 'by this fiscal,' if the remaining engines arrive.
HAL has since restructured its Bengaluru facility, added a parallel assembly line, and says it can deliver 16 jets a year, if the supply chain holds steady. The target is to complete all 83 by 2028, followed by a pending Rs 67,000 crore order for 97 more Mk-1As, taking the total to 180 aircraft by 2031.
But all of this still hinges on fixing a fragile supply chain and overcoming HAL's delivery record.
The private push
Recognising the urgency, the Ministry of Defence set up a five-member Defence Empowerment Committee led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The panel proposed short-, medium- and long-term fixes, including roping in private players to accelerate the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas production chain.
That's now underway.
As per government reports, Alpha Tocol Engineering delivered the first rear fuselage of the Tejas Mk-1A to HAL in March. VEM Technologies followed with the centre fuselage in May, and L&T supplied wing assemblies in July. Other firms are contributing too: Tata Advanced Systems is supplying composite parts, Dynamatic Technologies makes the front fuselage, Lakshmi Machine Works handles air intakes, and Amphenol provides loom assemblies.
HAL has opened three production lines, including one in Nashik, and aims to ramp up to 30 aircraft annually by 2026–27.
This shortfall is compounded by the fact that the IAF retired its MiG-27s in 2019 and is now phasing out Jaguars, with full withdrawal expected by 2035–2040. Every delay in delivering the indigenously developed Tejas Mk-1A, meant to replace those ageing fleets, only widens the gap.
The AMCA project:
In March 2023, the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared full-scale engineering development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India's first fifth-generation stealth fighter.
But this time, HAL won't have a monopoly on execution.
As Economic Times reported, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), under DRDO, will float an expression of interest (EoI) inviting bids for the programme. HAL can go solo or team up with private or foreign players.
Private firms, for the first time, can also bid independently, form consortiums, or partner with foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as long as they comply with Indian rules.
The government wants speed, scale, and accountability, and is making it clear HAL no longer holds exclusive rights to marquee fighter jet programmes.
The Rs 15,000 crore allocation will fund five flying prototypes, a structural test specimen, and extensive flight-testing. The IAF is aiming for seven squadrons, or around 126 jets, by the early 2040s.
The first two squadrons will be powered by GE-F414 engines. HAL and General Electric are in talks to co-produce these in India under a $1.5 billion deal, with 80% technology transfer on the table.
Still, the first AMCA squadron won't be ready before 2035. And until then, the IAF is retiring jets faster than it can replace them.
Private defence is growing, and drones are leading
Over the last few years, India's private defence players have moved from the sidelines to the centre of the ecosystem. Companies like Tata Advanced Systems, L&T, Paras Defence, Alpha Design, and Bharat Forge aren't just suppliers anymore, they're partners.
Tata is building the C-295 military transport aircraft in Gujarat in collaboration with Airbus Spain. Alpha Design co-developed the SkyStriker loitering munition and supplies parts for tanks and satellites. L&T builds warships, radars and weapon platforms, and booked Rs 13,000 crore in orders in FY25. Bharat Forge is expanding in artillery and missiles.
Government initiatives like iDEX and SRIJAN have fuelled this shift. Defence exports hit Rs 24,000 crore in FY25, and the government wants to double that by 2029.
Adani Defence, Paras Defence, ideaForge, and IG Drones are ramping up too. Adani has opened new ammunition and missile plants in Uttar Pradesh. ideaForge's SWITCH and NETRA V2 are already in active use. Solar Industries is building the Nagastra-1 tactical drone. NewSpace Research is developing swarming drone tech.
In July 2025, the IAF's Unmanned Force Plan outlined the need for 30–50 combat UAVs. The private sector is delivering faster than anyone expected.
A turning point in the sky
The MiG-21's retirement isn't just the end of an aircraft, it's a wake-up call.
Tejas is meant to fill the gap, but delays, especially on the engine front, have slowed induction. HAL says it's ready to deliver. Private firms are stepping in. But squadron strength continues to fall.
Meanwhile, the AMCA program is the first real test of whether private participation can speed up a complex fighter program. The signs are promising, but timelines are tight.
India now has the tech, the talent, and the policy. The only question is whether the system can move fast enough, before the skies are left too wide open to defend.