Meet Retired Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal, who flew India's first supersonic fighter jet into the country
A new era in air power
Live Events
TOI.in
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 decades.In India, the jet was assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with more than 1,200 MiG-21s having worn IAF roundels.Air 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 service.In 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 pilot.That 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 Agra.Jayal 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 Celsius.Cut 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 Jalandhar.The 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 said.Over 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.Jayal 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 said.For 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)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Boss refuses WFH amid Mumbai rains. Employee's two-word reply shuts him down
Internet reacts MORE STORIES FOR YOU ✕ « Back to recommendation stories I don't want to see these stories because They are not relevant to me They disrupt the reading flow Others SUBMIT When Mumbai floods, the city doesn't just drown in rainwater—it also floods the internet with viral stories. This time, it's not a pothole or a rescue boat making headlines but an office group chat. A Reddit user shared a screenshot where one employee, stuck in traffic during a red alert, delivered the most blunt two-word reply to her manager. The internet has since crowned her a "corporate baddie".According to the viral screenshot, the employee informed her office group, 'Hi all, stuck in traffic not able to reach the office.' Instead of understanding, the manager responded with, 'Let it be, late. But arrive..' The employee didn't bother with excuses or long justifications. Her reply? A curt but powerful: 'Not possible.'The Reddit post explained that while government offices were shut and many private companies offered WFH during the heavy rains, this particular office had no such policy. The co-worker, known for not tolerating nonsense, clearly wasn't going to risk her safety just to satisfy her boss's stubbornness. In the comment section, the Reddit user revealed that her co-worker was an Assistant Manager and explained her situation to the manager over a internet immediately rallied behind the employee, with many praising her courage and bluntness. Some even went as far as saluting her for standing up to the manager, while others dubbed her the ultimate corporate rebel who refused to bend under pressure. Many agreed that Indian managers often lack empathy, no matter which part of the country they come also shared their own workplace horror stories. One person recalled being stranded with a dead bike in heavy rain and facing a manager who flat-out denied work-from-home. Frustrated, he escalated the matter by sending video proof of the flooded streets to HR and the CEO. While he did get a temporary WFH arrangement, endless 'discussion calls' eventually pushed him to quit before appraisal person pointed out the hypocrisy of management. In his office, some employees braved the rain and made it to work, only for the manager to scold the rest for not doing the same. The irony? The manager was comfortably working from home, while the road leading to the office was overflowing with gutters.
Economic Times
4 hours ago
- Economic Times
Meet Retired Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal, who flew India's first supersonic fighter jet into the country
The seven IAF pilots who trained on the MiG-21 in USSR. (Inset) Air Marshal (retd) Brijesh Dhar Jayal, who was part of the group. 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 decades. In India, the jet was assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with more than 1,200 MiG-21s having worn IAF roundels. Air 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 service. In 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 pilot. That 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 Agra. Jayal 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 Read: Retired Air Marshal says MiG-21 was not a 'Flying Coffin', recalls how it beat four US fighter jets in Pakistan '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 Celsius. Cut 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 Jalandhar. The 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 said. Over 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. Also Read: Large touch screen, side joystick & less switches: Tejas Mk2 simulator provides first details look of India's 4.5 gen fighter jet Jayal 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 said. For 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
5 hours 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)
