The legendary, supersonic Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets, which have been the backbone of the Indian Air Force's combat fleet for over six decades, are set to retire on Friday.
Inducted into the service in 1963, the MiG-21 quickly became Indian Air Force's first supersonic jet and the backbone of its combat fleet. over the years, the Indian Air Force procured over 870 MiG-21s. Originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, the MiG-21 was rapidly adapted by the IAF for various roles and duties, including ground attack, reconnaissance, and close air support. The fighter jets were the dominant platforms during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. They also played a major role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.
The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to No. 23 Squadron of the Indian Air Force, nicknamed 'Panthers', will be given a farewell at the decommissioning ceremony at the Chandigarh Air Force station, where the first MiG-21 aircraft was inducted into service in 1963.
The official culmination of MiG-21 operations will begin with a ceremonial flypast and decommissioning event. Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh will fly the last sortie of the Squadron with the call sign 'Badal 3'.
Upon landing, the six MiG-21 jets 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.
Guests at the event
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, will be among those present on the occasion.
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. Officials from the Defence Ministry, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will also be present.
Last operational flights
The MiG-21 fighter jets made their last operational flights at the Nal Air Force Station in Rajasthan's Bikaner in August. As part of the symbolic farewell, Air Chief Marshal Singh flew solo sorties of the MiG-21 from Nal on August 18 and 19. This marked an emotional moment for the force and for generations of pilots trained on the Russian-origin fighter jets that has been serving the nation for over six decades.
