Backbone of combat fleet, MiG-21 fighter jets set to retire from IAF on Sep 26

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.

The supersonic jets were the dominant platforms during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

The aircraft also played a key role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as 2019 Balakot airstrikes.

However, the IAF's workhorse, the MiG-21 aircrafts, were also involved in multiple crashes in the last six decades, with spotlight many times being on the safety record of the ageing fleet of the Soviet-origin aircraft.

The Friday's ceremony will commence with the arrival of the chief guest Rajnath Singh followed by a spectacular display by IAF's elite skydiving team 'Akash Ganga', who will skydive from a height of 8,000 feet.

This will be succeeded by majestic flypast of MiG-21 aircraft accompanied by precision of the air warrior drill team and an aerial salute.

The fighter pilots will be flying MiG-21s in the three-aircraft 'Badal' formation and the four-aircraft 'Panther' formation will thunder over the skies one final time.

The Surya Kiran aerobatic team will also enthral the audience with their breathtaking maneuvers.

A commemorative postal stamp will also be released on the occasion.

The IAF's MiG-21 fighter jets made their last operational flights at the Nal Air Force Station in Rajasthan's Bikaner, a month ahead of the formal retirement ceremony slated here on Friday.

As part of the symbolic farewell, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh flew solo sorties of the MiG-21 from Nal on August 18-19, marking an emotional moment for the force and for generations of pilots trained on the Russian-origin fighter jet that served the force for 62 years.