MiG-21 Vikram - Program
In 1961, the IAF opted to purchase the MiG-21 over several other Western competitors. As part of the deal, the Soviet Union offered India full transfer of technology and rights for local assembly. Since 1963, the IAF inducted more than 1,200 different MiG fighters. In 1964, the MiG-21 became the first supersonic fighter jet to enter service with the IAF. Meanwhile, factories were set up at Nasik (aircraft), Hyderabad (Avionics), and Koraput (engines) with Soviet assistance. HAL produced 657 aircraft of three variants: MiG-21FL, MiG-21M, and MiG-21bis.
Inducted in 1963, the MiG-21 has served for nearly six decades and has been a cornerstone of India's air power. The first squadron, the 28 Squadron, raised in Chandigarh, was nicknamed 'First Supersonics' as India's first supersonic fighter. Due to limited induction numbers and insufficient pilot training, the IAF MiG-21 played a limited role in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. However, the IAF gained valuable experience.
The capabilities of the MiG-21 were put to the test during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. MiG-21s played a crucial role in giving the IAF air superiority in both western and eastern theaters. The 1971 war witnessed the first supersonic air combat in the subcontinent when an Indian MiG-21FL claimed a PAF F-104A Starfighter with its GSh-23 twin-barrel 23 mm cannon. By the end of the hostilities, the IAF MiG-21FLs had shot four PAF F-104s and two Shenyang F-6, and one PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
In the eastern sector, the MiG-21 played a crucial role for the IAF, earning the moniker “runway buster” for its ground attack capabilities. Repeat attacks on December 6 and 7, 1971, successfully cratered the runways at Tejgaon and Kurmitola near Dhaka, effectively grounding the PAF in the eastern sector. On December 14, 1971, four MiG-21s from Tezpur airbase led by Wg Cdr Bishnoi (VrC & Bar) attacked the Governor’s House in Dhaka, paving the way for the surrender of Pakistani forces.
Because of the performance of India’s MiG-21s, several states, including Iraq approached India for MiG-21 pilot training. By the end of the 1970s, more than 120 Iraqi pilots were being trained by the IAF. On August 10, 1999, two MiG-21FLs of the IAF intercepted and shot down a Pakistan’s Naval Air Arms Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft with an R-60 missile after it entered Indian airspace for surveillance, killing all on board.
However, the plane had been plagued by safety issues. Since 1970, more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents. The aircraft engine operates very close to its surge line in some regimes, and the ingestion of even a small bird can lead to an engine surge/seizure and flame out. On December 11, 2013, the MiG-21FL was decommissioned after being in service for 50 years. The final Soviet-produced variant was the MiG-21bis, manufactured between 1972 and 1985.
Over the years, a large number of MiG-21 variants were in service with the Soviet Air Force. The MiG-21 bis version was designed in the early 70s and was flown for the first time in 1976. The fighter was developed on the basis of experience gained from the earlier variants and had good transonic and supersonic handling characteristics, high rate of climb, small size and high max take off weight. The MiG-21 bis was the last of the series of MiG 21s and was a true all weather, multi-role fighter. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force in the early 1980s. Since then, it had been the mainstay of the IAF.
In 1976, the "third generation" MiG-21bis, considered the definitive variant of the classic tailed-delta fighter design, was a follow-on the "M" sub-type as a multi-role air superiority/ground attack version. The MiG-21bis assumed the prime air defence mantle and sufficient numbers were acquired in 1976-77 to equip three squadrons (Nos. 15, 21 and 23) formerly operating the Gnat light fighter. With some 580 MiG-21s delivered by HAL and nearly 250 MiG-21s (including the two-seat operational trainers) imported as "fly aways", the type remained an immense asset for the Indian Air Force for over a quarter century. The quantity vs. quality dilemma inevitably faced by most of the world's air forces as a consequence of spiralling costs was mitigated for the IAF by the large scale availability of the MiG-21, which type will surely go down as one of aviation history's all-time classics.
The MiG-21 was also fielded in the Kargil war. It was often the first choice of commanders, as it provided unmatched flexibility due to its unique attributes of high agility, fast acceleration, and quick turnaround, according to the Press Bureau of Information. The versatility of all the MiG-21 variants immensely shaped the IAF operational philosophy for decades. The pilots, engineers and technicians who flew and maintained the MiG-21 were strong proponents of its exceptional combat worthiness.
More than half a century after its first flight, the MiG-21 packed a lethal punch. Kargil was one theater where the MiG-21 showed it was still a threat. The Pakistan Air Force’s director of operations during the war acknowledged afterward that the GPS-assisted high-altitude bombing by the MiG-21, MiG-23BN and MiG-27 was a game changer. This was corroborated by aviation historian and author Pushpindar Singh in Himalayan Eagles: “…targeting pod imagery observed by IAF pilots in real time showed enemy troops abandoning their positions at the very sound of approaching fighters.”
Flying task for each type of aircraft was fixed by the Ministry and prescribed in the Policy pages of the squadrons. As per these norms the serviceability of aircraft should be maintained at 75 per cent. The year-wise position with regard to serviceability, Aircraft on Ground (AOG - refers to those aircraft which were not air worthy] and flying task achievement of aircraft from 2004-05 to 2008-09 were reviewed in audit during 2009-10. Against the prescribed norms of 75 per cent the average serviceability rate of aircraft ranged between 41.32 per cent and 51.52 per cent during 2004-05 to 2008-09 due to high rate of AOG. Actual flying tasks performed also fell significantly short of the flying task prescribed by the Ministry and ranged from 29.09 to 55.70 percent. Actual serviceability was low because of non-availability of spares and failure of items before their expected life.
Deficiency in operational manpower at the operating squadrons both at the level of officers and airmen during the period 2004-05 to 2008-09 was a shortage of pilots between 6.25 percent and 23.75 percent and at airmen level were between 30.75 percent and 37.62 percent at the squadrons.
The total technical life of MiG-21 Bis aircraft was 2685 hrs. and 30 years. Further extension will be granted based on tests being conducted at NAL, Bangalore. The aircraft were likely to be in service at least 10 years after upgradation. Work on further extension of life was in progress. All 125 aircraft were planned to be upgraded during 4 years time i.e. by 2006. All the non-Bison MiG-21s would be out by March 2020. The MiG-21 Bis would reach its Total Technical Life (TTL) in the year 2021 and Jagaurs a few years later, bringing the overall squadron strength from the present 30 to maybe 27.
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