By Tej SH
The MiG-21 fighter jets which have been generally recognised as the pride of Indian Air Forces are set to retire on 26th September. These fighter jets are planned to be succeeded by Tejas fighter jets. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh conducted a sortie from Nal Airbase in Bikaner as a mark of respect, pertaining to the retirement.
The MiG-21 is an aircraft that has been considered as one of the supersonic jets of all time and is highly respected by many. In the 1971 Indo-Pak war where it had performed crucial strikes in order to gain victory. The Wing Commander Jaideep Singh says that the aircraft will be missed by the IAF pilots.Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, who has been a proud pilot of MiG-21 mentions how the legacy which has been built by this aircraft is simply unmatched.
Over the past 6 decades, service has been turbulent. The aircraft became extremely prone to accidents as the flight could not cope up with the technological updates which kept happening over the decades. According to statistics, more than 200 IAF pilots have lost their lives due to accidents from Mig-21 flights.
On the other hand, India plans to incorporate the homegrown LCA Tejas Mk1A and Mk2 as a viable successor to the Mig-21 aircraft. While the LCA Tejas Mk1A aircrafts are production ready and available for usage by the IAF, the Mk2 is being tested and developed to be a better version as they are planned to be more powerful and versatile than their counterparts. In May of 2025, the first centre fuselage assembly of LAC Tejas Mk1 was handed over to HAL by an Indian company which is private. A prototype of this model is kept on display at the Aeronautical Agency. These are set to be in usage from September of 2025.