Six decades of MiG-21: How IAF's crown jewel became flying coffin

India Today

23-07-2025

As an Antonov-124 cargo aircraft unloaded three desert-camouflaged advanced multi-role attack AH-64E Apache helicopters for the Indian Army on Tuesday, news of another aviation behemoth was about to make waves across the nation.The Soviet-era MiG-21s, also India's first supersonic jet, long regarded as the workhorses of the Indian Air Force and guardians of the nation's skies for over six decades, were officially announced to take their final flight by September 2025.advertisementThe warplane is set to be formally retired with a ceremonial send-off in Chandigarh. It will be replaced by the indigenous Tejas Mk1A fighter jets.
For anyone who has ever heard the aircraft roar to life during take-off or ripping through the skies mid-flight, that deafening sound is unforgettable – enough to give you goosebumps. One can only imagine the fear it instilled in the enemy ranks as it thundered overhead. But as the aircraft aged, a grim moniker began to overshadow its legacy – it earned the name "flying coffin".Except for Operation Meghdoot to secure the Siachen Glacier in 1984, where MiG-23s and MiG-29s played a more pivotal role in high-altitude airbases, the MiG-21 participated in nearly every war or conflict India has faced since 1963, when it was inducted in IAF: the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars, the 1999 Kargil War, the Balakot airstrikes in 2019, and most recently, Operation Sindoor.It was this third-generation Soviet fighter jet that Group Captain (then-Wing Commander) Abhinandan Varthaman was flying during the Balakot airstrikes' aftermath, when Pakistani F-16s were about to cross into Indian airspace. In the dogfight, the MiG-21 Bison downed a far more advanced fourth-generation US-made F-16 before itself being shot down, with Varthaman captured and later returned from POK.During Operation Safed Sagar – IAF's support to the Indian Army's Operation Vijay during the 1999 Kargil War – the MiG-21 flew alongside Mirage 2000s, MiG-29s, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, and Jaguars, delivering punishing strikes in the world's harshest combat terrain in the Himalayas.THE WARHORSE THAT OUTLIVED ITS GLORYThen-Union Defence Minister AK Antony said in 2012 that 482 of 872 MiG-21 jets had crashed since its induction. Since 2010, there have been over 20 such incidents.These crashes resulted in the deaths of over 170 fighter pilots of the IAF.In fact, the fighter aircraft reportedly saw two crashes in its very first year of induction into the IAF.Earlier, in July 2022, a trainer variant of the MiG-21 went down, resulting in the death of both pilots onboard.In 2021, five MiG-21 Bison aircraft were lost in accidents, with three pilots losing their lives.advertisementOne of the most recent accidents occurred in May 2023, when a MiG-21 crashed during a routine training mission near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The pilot survived, but the debris struck a house in Hanumangarh district, claiming the lives of three civilians.The IAF grounded the entire MiG-21 fleet after that accident.Over the years, the crashes have been attributed to different reasons, including mechanical failures, human errors, bird strikes, and in some cases, spatial disorientation experienced by the pilots.The warplane, designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the 1950s, was a technological marvel when inducted into the IAF.However, its use beyond its intended service life, combined with design limitations and maintenance challenges, led to frequent malfunctions.Yet, many aviation and defence enthusiasts regard it as one of the finest fighter jets of its time. The fact that an Air Force as large as India's continued to operate it for nearly 63 years speaks volumes about its capability.However, a big reason the phasing out of the MiG-21s was delayed was the production delays of the LCA Tejas – an issue that the current Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, has been notably vocal about.advertisementNotably, the MiG-21 was reportedly designed for a service life of approximately 20-25 years, with retirement expected by the mid-1990s.Most Indian MiG-21s were license-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which built over 650 of them, including various variants such as the MiG-21FL, MiG-21M, MiG-21bis, the final version, the MiG-21 Bison, and MiG-21U/UM (trainer variants).But sourcing spare parts became problematic after the Soviet Union ceased production in 1985. India had to resort to procuring second-hand spares from Israel and Ukraine, which Moscow warned could compromise safety back in the early 2000s.Today, the IAF has just 36 MiG-21 planes left in its arsenal.Even as India advances toward developing a fifth-generation stealth fighter, the legacy of the MiG-21 remains polarising. Once the backbone of the Air Force until the mid-2000s, it helped India win wars, but also claimed over 170 pilots and nearly 40 civilian lives in crashes.- EndsMust Watch