Vikram (Valor) MiG-21bis / Trishul (Trident) Mig-21FL/U
The Indian Air Force (IAF) finally retired its MiG-21 fleet in September 2025 after over 60 years of glorious service. Only 36 MiG-21 fighter jets remained in the Indian Air Force's fleet. The aircraft waa formally de-inducted on September 26, 2025, with a special ceremony at Air Force Station Chandigarh. India was among the three major operators after the Soviet Union and China (licensed variant Chengdu J-7). The MIG-21 had been the workhorse of the IAF. It was inducted in 1964 and ontinued in service ever since. In August 2019, the IAF made headlines when its jets launched airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist facility in Pakistan, known as the Balakot strikes. IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 while flying a MiG-21 Bison, during a showdown between the IAF and Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
The iconic MiG-21 protected the Indian skies through major conflicts. The aircraft has shot down multiple generations of enemy fighters--from F-104s in 1971 to the F-16 in 2019--making it one of the most battle-tested jets in IAF history. Its retirement was an emotional time for several generations of Indian fighter pilots. Indian media was replete with nostalgic reminiscences of great aviators and air veterans. Fighters face a special problem of longevity, because they must compete directly with newer models. Thus, very few fighters have had long life spans, either in production or in service. The MiG-21 was an exception. The MiG-21 would exceed Mach 2.0, with an internal cannon and the capacity to carry between two and six missiles. Like most fighters, the MiG-21 would eventually serve in a ground attack role, in which it can carry a limited number of bombs and rockets.
The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor capabilities. It was a lightweight Mach 2 fighter with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet when compared to the American F-104 or F-5, or even the French Mirage III. The very characteristic shock cone in the front air intake was unique and peculiar, and left little space for a decent-sized radar. Like many aircraft designed as interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range.
The MiG-21’s simple controls, engine, weapons, and avionics were typical of Soviet-era military designs. The use of a tail with the delta wing aids stability and control at the extremes of the flight envelope, enhancing safety for lower-skilled pilots. This, in turn, enhanced its marketability in exports to developing countries with limited training programs and restricted pilot pools.
The maximum permitted speed was 2,237 km/M2.05 at 13,000 m (42,651 ft), and 1,300 km/h/M1.06 at sea level. The service ceiling was 17,500 m (57,400 ft). The aircraft could operate from semi-prepared surfaces. The aircraft armament included one GSh-23 mm gun with 200 rounds. Aircraft had five hard-points with a capacity of up to 2,000 kg of stores, with provisions to carry combinations of bombs rockets and missiles or fuel drop-tanks. In later variants it included the latest air-to-air missiles the R-73, R-77, and R-27. Its low production and maintenance costs made it a favorite of many states.
Despite acquiring its first supersonic jet in 1963, the IAF did not get a jet trainer until 2004 because it took decades for the proposal to make its way through the defence procurement bureaucracy. For close to 40 years rookie pilots went straight from propeller driven and subsonic trainers to the supersonic MiG-21.
In an article in Indian Aviation magazine, IAF Wing Commander K.S. Suresh says in air combat manoeuvres, inexperienced pilots flying the MiG-21 have got into trouble without realising it. When the aircraft develops a high rate of descent, it cannot be arrested with the power available. Worse, “there is no protest from the aircraft like severe shudder, wing rocking etc prevalent in other types of aircraft. This gives a feeling of well-being and a number of pilots did not recognise the danger in time to take recovery action or eject”. Essentially, young pilots were pitchforked into an aerial meat grinder, resulting in a high loss rate from peacetime accidents.
Of the 793 MiG-21s inducted into IAF since 1963, by 2012 well over 350 had been lost in accidents, killing 170 pilots. By reirement in 2025 there had been 400 crashes, and over 200 pilots have been killed in these crashes. This is why the fighter plane is called the 'Flying Coffin' and 'Widow Maker'. However, labelling it a “flying coffin” was plain wrong. This was being done by misinformed (or incompetent) and under-pressure journalists. In fact, India Today magazine we stopped using such expressions when confronted with facts. The then IAF chief called and said the cavalier use of the term “flying coffin” was causing trauma to the families of pilots flying the aircraft. He supplied data to show the MiG-21 wasn’t a dangerous aircraft at all. Former Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis said the higher number of crashes (not to be confused with the crash rate) was because the “MiG-21s are most in numbers and in use operationally”.
The MiG-21 has been called the AK-47 of airplanes. “Rock-solid airframe,” a former MiG-21 ground technician once told this author. “Really, the thing only needs to be topped off with fluids, and it just goes and goes.” When the US Air Force operated MiG-21s as adversary aircraft combat trainers, they found them to be, in the words of one crew chief, “Just like your family car. As long as it’s full of fuel, you pull it out of the garage and start it up.” “With a set of home socket wrenches and screwdrivers, you could get a lot of maintenance done on the little jet,” said another crew chief.
Amid the efforts to replace its old Russian-origin aircraft, the MiG-21s of three squadrons of the Indian Air Force would be retired by 2025. By 2023 the IAF operated more than 50 MiG-21 Bison aircraft, the latest and the last variant of the MiG-21. In a momentous decision that marks a pivotal step toward modernization, the Indian Air Force (IAF) revealed plans 03 October 2023 to retire its iconic MiG-21 fighter jets and replace them with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A. The announcement came from Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari during a press conference held in Delhi, setting the stage for a transformative change in the IAF’s fleet.
With the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) combat strength set to fall to its lowest in six decades following the retirement of the MiG-21, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is working with private-sector partners to accelerate production of its replacement — the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark-1A (Mk1A). HAL aims to raise output from the current ceiling of 24 aircraft a year to 30 by the end of 2027, according to a source at the defence public-sector undertaking (DPSU).
Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Rambir Mann (Retd) wrote: "The MiG-21’s 62-year legacy is heroic but humbling. Its prolonged service reflects bottlenecks we must overcome. As squadrons dwindle to 29 and adversaries modernize, India cannot afford another delayed Tejas. By embracing disciplined procurement, empowered governance and private-sector synergy, we can ensure our that our skies—and our security—are never compromised. Citizens deserve a defence system that matches Viksit Bharat’s ambition. The MiG-21’s final flight is not just a farewell; it’s a call to act."
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