IAF to retire one MiG-21 squadron by September end, entire fleet to be phased out by 2025
New Delhi, July 29: In the wake of previous crashes involving its vintage Russian combat aircraft fleet, the Indian Air Force has decided to retire one more squadron of MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30.
A MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer aircraft crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan, on Thursday evening, killing both pilots, Flight Lieutenant A Bal, and Wing Commander Rana.
“The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar air base is being number plated on September 30. After this, only three squadrons of the planes would be left in service and would be phased out by the year 2025,” IAF sources said.
The 51 squadron is well known for foiling Pakistan's aerial strike on India on February 27, 2019, and knocking down an F-16 in an aircraft piloted by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman.
According to the sources, this is the only time a MiG-21 aircraft has brought down an F-16 in air-to-air combat.
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The Indian Air Force has started replacing MiG-21 fighter fighters with more powerful aircraft such as the Su-30 and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
Six MiG-21s have been lost in crashes in the last 20 months, with five pilots killed.
In 1963, the IAF received its first single-engine MiG-21, and it gradually inducted 874 variants of the Soviet-origin supersonic fighters to increase its combat capability. However, during the last six decades, more than 400 MiG-21s have been engaged in accidents that have cost the lives of around 200 pilots.
According to experts, more MiG-21s have crashed than any other fighter because they comprised the majority of the fighter aircraft in the IAF's inventory for a long time.
The MiG-21s were scheduled to be retired years ago, but delays in the induction of the LCA Tejas aircraft have compelled the IAF to continue flying them.
Also Read | Both pilots killed as IAF Mig-21 crashes near Rajasthan's Barmer
-PTC News
