&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "MiG-21 retires: End of an era for Soviet-era jets that served Indian Air Force for six decades. Know its story")
The MiG-21 fighter jets, the backbone of the Indian Air Force combat fleet for over six decades will finally retire on Friday (Sep 26).Belonging to number 23 Squadron, nicknamed "Panthers", the fighter jets will be decommissioned in a ceremony to be held at the Chandigarh Air Force station in Punjab. A full-dress rehearsal ahead of the retirement ceremony was held at the Chandigarh Air Base on Wednesday.
The attendees who will take part in the ceremony are, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
MiG-21 Role In Major Events, War
Inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1963 from the Soviet Union (modern day Russia), the jets played a major role in the 1971 war against Pakistan. It was extensively used in the war.
According to the Indian Air Force Spokesperson, Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, the notable role it played during the war was the bombing of the Tej Gaon and Kurmitola airfields in East Pakistan. The attack on the governor's residence that finally led to Pakistan surrendering with 93 thousand Prisoners of War, was also carried out by the MiG-21s.
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During the 1999 Kargil war, the fighter jets helped to destroy Pakistan's control and command centres at mountain peaks. Notably, it was also deployed in the 2019 Balakot surgical strike against Pakistani terrorist camps. It was with the MiG-21 that Abhinandan shot down an F-16 of the Pakistani Air Force, according to Singh.
"Flying Coffins"
However, the MiG-21 fighter jets also became infamous for the high number of crashes reported in the recent years, especially in the early 2000s, for which they got the nickname "flying coffins". The name coined by the media was aimed at conveying the grief of the families of pilots who lost their lives in these accidents.
Despite the accidents, there were a section of pilots and experts who argued that the jets were one of the best for its time.
