Backbone of combat fleet, MiG-21 fighter jets set to retire from IAF

Chandigarh: The legendary Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets, which have been the backbone of Indian Air Force’s combat fleet for over six decades, are finally set to retire from the IAF at a decommissioning event in Chandigarh, where the iconic aircraft was first inducted over six decades ago.

The official culmination of MiG-21 operations is set for September 26 with a ceremonial flypast and decommissioning event, marking the closure of a historic chapter in India’s air power.

The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to number 23 Squadron nicknamed “Panthers”, will be given a farewell at the decommissioning ceremony at the Chandigarh Air Force station.

On Friday, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, will fly the last sortie of the Squadron with the call sign ‘Badal 3’.

Dilbagh Singh, who became the IAF chief in 1981, had led the first MiG-21 Squadron here in 1963.

In a recent post on X about the retiring Mig-21s, the IAF said, “Six decades of service, countless tales of courage, a warhorse that carried pride of a nation into the skies”.

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, will be among those present on the occasion here on Friday.

Further, as per the tentative programme, six former IAF chiefs A Y Tipnis, S Krishnaswamy, S P Tyagi, P V Naik, B S Dhanoa and R K S Bhadauria will also attend the Friday’s ceremony in Chandigarh.

Officials from the Defence Ministry, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will also be present.

A full dress rehearsal for this ceremony was held at the IAF station here on Wednesday.

Upon landing, the six MiG-21 jets, belonging to number 23 Squadron, taking part in the flypast ceremony on Friday, will be given a water cannon salute and among the pilots will be Squadron Leader Priya Sharma, who also flew in the full dress rehearsal on Wednesday.

The Jaguar and the Tejas aircrafts will also be part of the ceremony.

Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.

It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.

The MiG-21 fighter jets used to be the mainstay of the IAF for a long period of time. After its first induction, the IAF procured over 870 MiG-21s to boost its overall combat prowess.