MiG-21 Flies Into History: From Workhorse To War Relic | Jagran Opinion

The Indian Air Force (IAF) bid farewell to the MiG-21 on September 26. The farewell flypast by the MiG-21 was at Chandigarh air base, where sixty-two years ago, the MiG-21 started its journey with the IAF.

MiG-21 is the most-produced jet fighter in history. A total of 11,496 MiG-21s were produced in the USSR, India, and Czechoslovakia between 1959 and 1985. It served in the air forces of more than 60 countries. It was the most produced and most widely operated fighter jet in history. Its closest competitor is the F-5, of which 2600 were made and which served in over 26 countries. The MiG-21 and the US F-4 Phantom are the longest-serving fighter jets in history.

The secret of the MiG-21’s popularity was a simple design, high speed (Mach 2+), and low cost. Designed as an air defence interceptor, it evolved into a ground attack, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and trainer aircraft.

Origins and Induction into the IAF

The MiG-21's prototype, the Ye-4, made its first flight on June 16, 1955. The MiG-21 was inducted into the Soviet Air Force in 1959. The Indian Air Force (IAF) was the first non-Soviet air force to acquire the MiG-21. It inducted the first aircraft into No. 28 Squadron, "The First Supersonics," in March 1963 in Chandigarh.

It was the first supersonic fighter in Asia. The IAF inducted a total of 874 MiG-21s. From 1978 to 2005, IAF had over 20 MiG-21 squadrons, reaching a peak strength of 24 squadrons in 1996. Thus, during that period, MiG-21s were over 50% of the IAF’s fighter force of 39-40 fighter squadrons.

Between 1963 and 1989, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) produced 657 MiG-21s under a license agreement with Russia. The first MiG-21 produced entirely in India was delivered to the IAF in October 1970. It was a MiG-21 FL (Type 77) variant.

IAF Expanded MiG-21 Roles

MiG-21 was an air defence interceptor. IAF helped make it a multirole fighter:

- Photo Recce: The MiG-21 did not have a reconnaissance model. In 1971, at No. 1 BRD, Kanpur, a MiG-21 M was fitted with a KA-60 panoramic camera in a converted rocket pod. Squadron Leader Kirpal Singh, the BRD test pilot, flew several photo reconnaissance missions in this aircraft over West Pakistan between 01 and 12 December 1971. The films the aircraft brought were judged useful. Later, the IAF modified many MiG-21s to carry British-made Vinten 751 and 518 cameras in belly tanks.

Guns: The first MiG-21s were without guns. On IAF’s insistence, the GP-9 gun pack, with a 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 gun, was developed for the MiG-21 (Type 77). The gun pack made the MiG-21 a more versatile and capable fighter, enhancing its effectiveness in combat. Later models of the MiG, the 21M, Bis, and Bison had integral guns.

EW: IAF converted MiG-21 (Type 96) for the electronic warfare (EW) role. The aircraft were fitted with Swedish-made self-protection jamming pods, Chatterbox, to counter radar threats. These pods blind-spotted enemy short-range air defence radars, thus protecting the strike aircraft. The Type 96 was the IAF’s sole EW-fighter aircraft till the Mirage 2000 took over the role in the early 1990s.

Improved capability: At IAF’s insistence, the MiG-21 Bison was developed and inducted into the IAF in 2001. It had a modest glass cockpit, one multifunction display, a French inertial navigation system, a powerful Russian radar, the ‘Kopyo,’ an Israeli electronic warfare suite, and an Indian radar warning receiver, ‘Tarang.’

The Bison had R-73 short-range missiles, which allowed pilots to engage targets by looking at them; the R-77, a medium-range, active radar-guided missile for Beyond Visual Range (BVR) engagements; the KH-31 supersonic air-to-surface missile for anti-radiation and anti-ship roles; and the KAB-500 guided bomb for precision attacks.

Op trainer: The IAF also utilised the MiG-21 as an advanced jet trainer to train rookie fighter pilots for the MiG-29 and Su-30 supersonic fighters. Five squadrons in the Eastern Air Command were in this training role till the Hawk Advanced jet trainers were inducted in 2008.

Performance in Wars

Indo-Pakistan War of 1965

IAF had only one MiG-21 squadron operational. The aircraft were armed with two K-13 heat-seeking missiles. These missiles were ineffective due to their vulnerability to flares, limited tracking capabilities, a long seeker settling time, and tail-only engagement capabilities. However, MiG-21PFs flew combat air patrols.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971

On the Eastern front, MiG-21s bombed the Tezgaon (Dhaka) airfield, cratering the runway, which prevented Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft from taking off. On December 14, 1971, MiG-21s and Hunters launched rocket attacks on the Government House in Dhaka during a meeting of top Pakistani officials, breaking enemy morale, a decisive turning point.

On the Western front, on December 12, a MiG-21 shot down a Pakistani F-104 Starfighter over the Arabian Sea. Also, at least one F-86 was shot down by a MiG-21. A few MiG-21s were modified for low-level night raids, striking Pakistani airfields with high precision.

Kargil Conflict 1999 and Balakot 2019

Even in the late 1990s, the MiG-21 continued to play an active role. During the Kargil conflict in May 1999, MiG-21s conducted bombing and ground-attack missions in the treacherous Himalayas. Though technologically outdated compared to modern jets, the aircraft proved its versatility once again.

In the 2019 Balakot aerial engagement, a MiG-21 Bison flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16, proving that even an aged fighter could hold its ground in modern air combat.

The 'Widowmaker'

Systems of aged aircraft, like the organs of aged humans, begin to fail. The MiG-21's first flight was on June 16, 1955. Its final flight was 70 years later, on 26 September 2025. Overage caused its systems to fail, resulting in accidents.

In the absence of an advanced jet trainer, the IAF used the MiG-21 in a training role. Trainee pilots jumped from the Kiran trainer, max speed 0.56 M and landing speed 85 knots, to the MiG-21, max speed 2.1 M and landing speed 160 knots. They had difficulty coping with such a leap in performance of the aircraft they had to fly, leading to accidents.

The MiG-21 accident rate, accidents per 100,000 hours of flying, was 26.3. In comparison, the accident rates of its contemporaries were F-104, over 30; F-100, 21; F-105, 18; and F-101 and F-102, 15-17. MiG-21’s accident rate was high but not much worse than its contemporaries’.

Yet, the Mi-21 was saddled with the monikers “flying coffin,” and “Widowmaker” (Witwenmacher in German), which was earned by the German Air Force’s F-104.

In fact, the MiG-21 had good flying qualities throughout its performance envelope, including at low speeds, close to the stall angle of attack. No MiG-21 was ever lost due to handling problems, stall, or spin. Pilots therefore confidently manoeuvred the MiG-21 through its entire flying envelope.

In comparison, its contemporaries, the F-104 Starfighter and the English Electric Lightning, had notorious stall and spin characteristics. The F-104 was prone to deep stall and flat spin. Chuck Yeager, one of the famous test pilots, ejected from an NF-104, which went into a flat spin from which it refused to recover.

Lightning could stall or enter a spin with hardly any warning. Even experienced pilots, including test pilots, were uneasy doing even a 2g turn at altitude.

Conclusion

The retirement of the MiG-21 from the Indian Air Force is truly the end of an era. From its debut in 1963 to its final flight in 2025, the aircraft witnessed and shaped. India’s journey from a fledgling regional power to a confident military force.

As the IAF said goodbye to the potent fighter, it also honoured the jet that defended India’s skies for 62 years. The MiG-21’s story is one of resilience, adaptation, and legacy. Its departure opens a new chapter in India’s air defence, one defined by indigenous innovation and modern capabilities. The MiG-21 may leave the runways, but it will forever remain etched in the annals of Indian military history.

(Note: Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Prakash Kala, an experimental test pilot and a highly experienced fighter pilot, is a co-author of the blog. He is an experimental test pilot and a former examiner of pilots, commander of an elite MiG-21 EW squadron, Director of Ops (AI) and Director of EW of IAF, and a member of DPS, a think tank at the MoD.)

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.)