Latest news with #MiG-21s
News18
a day ago
- Business
- News18
India Has Only 522 Fighter Jets. This Is How Many China And Pakistan Have
Last Updated: The US has offered the F-35, but it's not just extremely expensive with each jet costing over Rs 2,000 crore, but also incompatible with India's current systems and doctrine India may have drawn global applause for its swift and daring action during Operation Sindoor, a three-day cross-border offensive that delivered serious blows to Pakistan's terror infrastructure. But scratch beneath the surface of this battlefield success, and a deeper concern emerges; India's combat aircraft fleet is shrinking, while its two adversaries are expanding theirs at pace. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is supposed to operate 42 fighter squadrons to defend a country bordered by two hostile powers. Right now, it has just 31, and that number is about to drop further. Two squadrons of aging MiG-21s are on the brink of retirement, cutting the effective strength to 29 squadrons, or roughly 522 fighter jets. That's a gap of 13 squadrons, nearly 234 aircraft. Meanwhile, China alone fields about 66 squadrons, with an estimated 1,200 combat aircraft, some units comprising up to 20 jets. Add Pakistan's 25 squadrons (around 450 jets) and the math is clear: the China-Pakistan military partnership brings 1,650 fighter jets to the table. That's more than triple India's current fleet. The IAF's top brass knows this is a crisis. But as Air Force officials have pointed out, 'fighter jets are not like air conditioners or refrigerators", they can't be picked off a shelf and delivered overnight. India signed the Rafale deal in 2016 to plug some of the gaps, purchasing 36 jets from France at a total cost of Rs 4.68 lakh crore, roughly Rs 1,600 crore per aircraft. But even that was a fraction of what's needed. At today's prices, replacing 234 missing aircraft would cost upwards of Rs 4.68 lakh crore again, if India were to rely solely on high-end imports. So why not just buy more? Here's the problem. Only three countries produce fifth-generation fighters: the US, Russia, and China. The US has offered the F-35, but it's not just extremely expensive with each jet costing over Rs 2,000 crore, but also incompatible with India's current systems and doctrine. That leaves Russia, whose Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter remains a possible, but not ideal, fit. The government says it wants to go domestic. On paper, that's a smart call. But execution is lagging badly. The indigenous Tejas programme, conceived in 1984, still hasn't hit full stride. HAL has orders for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets, but deliveries haven't begun. Mk-2s are in development. The planned fifth-generation stealth jet – AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) – may begin production by 2035 if everything stays on schedule, which, given past delays, is a big if. One major bottleneck? Engine supply. The entire Tejas program hinges on American GE engines, which are arriving far slower than expected. Without those engines, HAL's assembly lines are stuck. Meanwhile, China is racing ahead. It already deploys around 200 5th-gen J-20 stealth jets and plans to double that by 2030. Reports suggest it may even export them to Pakistan, giving both India's adversaries a serious edge in aerial warfare. Pakistan's current fleet includes F-16s and JF-17s, and it's actively acquiring more advanced aircraft from China. India's frontline jet remains the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, a heavy, twin-engine multirole fighter. It's a solid platform, but based on fourth-generation tech, and no match for stealth-enabled fifth-gen adversaries. Going fully indigenous would not only cut costs over time but also strengthen the domestic defence industry. But time is not on India's side. Global trends are shifting towards sixth-generation aircraft, and India hasn't yet fielded its fifth. The Defence Ministry has reportedly cleared acquisition of two to three squadrons of fifth-gen fighters. Whether that's the Russian Su-57 or something co-developed remains unclear. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Retirement of MiG fighter jets, concerns grow over delayed Tejas induction, shrinking combat strength
NEW DELHI: While preparations are underway to bid adieu to the last squadron of MiG aircraft on 19 September at Chandigarh this year, anxieties persist regarding the falling number of combat squadrons and, more significantly, the slow pace of production of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) intended to replace these longest-serving fighter jets. The jets of the Number 23 Squadron, MiG-21, will be flying for the last time. Inducted into the IAF in 1963, the MiG-21 was initially acquired for the role of a high-altitude interceptor. It was later retasked for ground attack. The USSR had designed it to counter aircraft such as the American U-2 spy plane. The first induction of the Russian-origin single-engine MiG-21 fighters took place in 1963, with different versions joining the IAF subsequently. As of now, the IAF continues to operate one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison at Suratgarh. A squadron in the IAF comprises 16–18 aircraft. However, an element of anxiety persists within the combat fraternity of the Air Force: following the retirement of the 23 Squadron, the IAF's combat squadron strength will fall to its lowest ever—29 squadrons—against the sanctioned strength of 42. 'It is a logical move as there is a shift in aerial combat—from close combat to acquisition and attack with missiles, which initially ranged a few kilometres but now exceed 100 kms,' said a fighter pilot, adding, 'The war now includes electronic warfare and has progressed to an informatised format.' The move was long due and aligns with existing plans, as the aircraft has long lived its age. 'The Pakistan Air Force, which inducted the F-104 long back, no longer operates that aircraft,' said a source. The concern, however, is not the retirement of the MiGs itself; it is the absence of a clear and timely replacement. 'The delays in induction of indigenously manufactured Light Combat Aircraft Tejas,' said the source. Overall, the Indian Air Force operated 24 fighter squadrons and four training units of MiG-21s. The IAF flew over 850 MiG-21s over six decades—a scale unmatched by most air forces. The aircraft, often nicknamed the 'Flying Coffin', saw approximately 300 losses in accidents. Interestingly, the birth of Tejas is closely linked with the MiG's phase-out. It is due to delays in the LCA project that the IAF took time in retiring the MiG-21s and replacing them with the indigenously developed Tejas, the source explained. The LCA was conceived in the late 1980s to replace the MiG-21s. After decades of delays due to production issues, the IAF now possesses 40 of the initial lot of Tejas aircraft. Last year, the IAF signed a ₹48,000-crore deal for 83 Tejas Mk1A fighters. As The New Indian Express reported earlier, the IAF is keen to induct close to 100 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighters. Once this order is fulfilled over the stipulated 15 years, the IAF will have 40 LCA, over 180 LCA Mk-1A, and at least 120 LCA Mk-2 aircraft. The first Tejas aircraft flew in 2001—17 years after the programme was initiated. The actual induction started 15 years later, in 2016. The first indigenous LCA was inducted in July 2016. The first IAF squadron to receive the Tejas was No. 45 Squadron, the 'Flying Daggers', which was earlier a MiG-21 Bis squadron. Tejas Mk1A is the newer and improved version of India's single-engine, 4.5-generation delta wing multirole combat aircraft, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency. The delays in Tejas deliveries have caused anxiety, culminating in a 'no confidence' remark from the IAF Chief in February. The delay in the delivery of Tejas fighter aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) led to the comment by Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh. While inspecting an aircraft at Aero India 2025, Singh was heard telling HAL officials, 'I can only tell you what our requirements and our worries are... At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen.' The video was captured and posted by the defence news channel NationalDefence. However, HAL officials have expressed confidence in delivering 12 Tejas fighters in this financial year. The Air Chief highlighted that the force has yet to receive all 40 Tejas Mk1 jets ordered in 2010. The Indian Air Force currently operates only 36 Tejas Mk1 jets, with four deliveries still pending. Since the 1960s, MiGs have touched the lives of every IAF pilot, directly or indirectly. As September approaches, the feeling of melancholy among them is only natural.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
History Headline: 6 decades ago, how MiGs won out, joined IAF
Sixty-two years after it joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Air Force Station Chandigarh, the MiG-21 will fly into history from the same station in a poignant farewell ceremony. It was in March 1963 that the first IAF Squadron equipped with MiG-21s was raised in Chandigarh. The No. 28 Squadron came up with Wing Commander (later Air Chief Marshal and Chief of Air Staff) Dilbagh Singh taking over its command on March 2, 1963. The MiG-21s inducted into the No. 28 Squadron back then were the MiG-21 F-13 type, the older version of the Soviet aircraft. Seven officers had been selected by the IAF headquarters to be sent to Russia for training on the MiG-21s — Wing Commander Dilbagh Singh, Squadron Leaders MSD Wollen and S K Mehra, and Flight Lieutenants A K Mukherjee, H S Gill, A K Sen, Denzil Keelor and B D Jayal. Keelor could not complete the training due to medical reasons while Wollen later succeeded Dilbagh Singh as the Commanding Officer of the squadron and commanded it during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Incidentally, Wollen and Mukherjee were involved in the first MiG-21 crash near Chandigarh in December 1963 when two of the aircraft collided mid-air while practising for the 1964 Republic Day parade. The two survived the crash. Over the years, the MiG-21 and its variants would be in the news for several crashes, eventually earning it the pejorative sobriquet 'The Flying Coffin'. The first six MiG-21s arrived in Chandigarh in April 1963 after they were flown from No. 2 Equipment Depot Bombay to Chandigarh via Agra. They were earlier received in Bombay in a disassembled condition and had been put together by a team of Soviet engineers and were test flown by their pilots. The No. 28 Squadron rightly earned the name of 'The First Supersonics' with the induction of the MiG-21s and retain that name to date. The unit now flies the MiG-29 aircraft and is stationed in Adampur in Punjab. The induction of the supersonic MiG-21s into the IAF was preceded by some hectic diplomatic manoeuvring by the USA. In 1963, given India's war with China the previous year and continued tensions with Pakistan, a supersonic aircraft in the IAF arsenal was a pressing need. The USA had already supplied one of its newest aircraft, the F-104 Starfighter, to Pakistan and there was considerable anxiety in the minds of the political and military leadership in India. The US F-104 had also been considered by the IAF for induction, but the US was not very keen to supply them in large numbers in order to keep a balance between India and Pakistan. Incidentally, given its high accident rate, the F-104 Starfighter too ended up earning an unflattering reputation as 'The Widowmaker'. Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there had been efforts on the part of several US officials posted at the embassy in India as well as the State department in Washington to urge their government to sell F-104s to India in substantial numbers. Their aim was to prevent India from entering into a deal with the Soviet Union as they feared that this would help the Soviets make inroads into the Indian military. They were proven right in the years to come. Declassified records of the US State Department reveal correspondence with the US Embassy in Delhi where the latter pointed out that in the 'absence of a favorable United States policy, India will go to Soviets for military equipment'. The US Ambassador to India at the time, John Kenneth Galbraith, predicted that if India decides to buy MiG-21 and/or other types of major military equipment from the Soviet, it will lead to a large number of Soviet technicians being introduced into the Indian defence establishment. 'Soviet training and technical advisors who would accompany purchase of Soviet equipment will have inevitable influence on younger post-independence Indian military officers now rising to position of prominence,' wrote Galbraith in a telegram to the State Department. A September 1962 paper by the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the US State Department, titled 'Status of Indian Negotiations for MiGs' quotes Galbraith as reporting that 'Nehru has become increasingly cool to the expenditures necessary for a MiG deal and his disposition is to postpone it or scale it down. When asked about the MiG deal by reporters in London on September 9, Nehru said, however, that 'negotiations have gone a good bit further'.' The Soviets, too, had their misgivings. Archival documents of the US State Department talk of indications that the Soviets had their doubts, for both technical and political reasons, about providing India with a manufacturing capability for the MiG-21. 'The Soviets apparently have had some question about Indian ability to handle so complicated a program as manufacturing supersonic fighters. This seems to us to be reasonable caution on the part of the Soviets. Additionally, we have received reports that the Soviet Union has been meeting strong Communist Chinese objections, particularly to the proposal for manufacturing MiG's in India,' says the State Department paper. In order to encourage India to turn down the Soviet offer of MiG-21, US President Kennedy even approved a simultaneous US offer to sell India nine C-130 transport aircraft in Rupees currency. All these efforts came to a naught and India not only went on to induct MiG-21s but also manufactured them on large scale at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited facility in Ozar near Nashik (Maharashtra) and in Koraput (Odisha), where the engines were manufactured. The writer is Assistant Editor, The Indian Express
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
From war horse to ‘flying coffins': India's MiG-21s that helped liberate Bangladesh set for final flight
From war horse to 'flying coffins': India's MiG-21s that helped liberate Bangladesh set for final flight Team TOI Plus Jul 25, 2025, 07:43 IST IST A ceremonial farewell for these iconic jets, which took part in all major conflicts but later gained notoriety for a high crash rate, is scheduled for September 19 in Chandigarh The Indian Air Force's (IAF) first truly supersonic fighters — the Soviet-era MiG-21s, later manufactured in India — will take to the skies for the final time this September, marking the end of over six decades of service. Only two MiG-21 ' Bison ' squadrons remain in operation, comprising 36 aircraft based at the Nal airbase in Rajasthan. A ceremonial farewell for these iconic delta-wing jets, which took part in all major conflicts but later gained notoriety for a high crash rate, is scheduled for September 19 in Chandigarh.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
From Crown Jewel To Flying Coffin: IAF To Phase Out Iconic Mig-21 Fighter Jets After 62 Years
After 62 years of service, the MiG-21 fighter jet is ready for its final take-off from the Indian Air Force. The farewell will be held on 19 September at the Chandigarh airbase, marking the end of an era for No. 23 Squadron, the Panthers. Introduced in 1963, the MiG-21 was India's first supersonic fighter and gave the IAF a strategic edge through the 1960s and 1970s. It played a crucial role in every major conflict since 1965, including the 1971 Bangladesh war, the 1999 Kargil conflict, and 2019 Balakot airstrikes. Despite earning the nickname 'flying coffin' due to aging airframes and accidents, the jet remained in service because of delays in modern replacements. Nearly 600 MiG-21s were built in India, making it the largest fighter fleet in the country's history.#mig21 #farewell #indianairforce #iaflegacy #flyingcoffin #tejaslca #militaryaviation #indiandefence #airpower #fighterjetretirement #pantherssquadron #toi #toibharat Read More
