Good bye MiG-21! Legendary fighter jet gets formal send-off

PRAYAGRAJ: The legendary MiG-21 Bison, which was the strength of the Indian Air Force for six decades, made its final appearance on October 8- Air Force Day. The Air Force gave a formal send-off to the aircraft. The Soviet-made fighter became part of the Air Force in 1963.

In 2019, an American-made F-16 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force that crossed the Indian border was shot down by Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardhaman with a missile fired from a MiG-21 Bison.

This supersonic fighter jet powered India in all its important advances, including the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Kargil War etc. The MiG-21 can fly at an altitude of 57,400 feet with a speed of up to 2,230 kmph.

In 1985, the Soviet Union ceased production of the MiG-21. After this, India tried to withdraw the MiG-21 since the 1990s, but it was prolonged due to the financial liability. Meanwhile, the MiG 21 started crashing even during training flights. There have been more than 400 accidents in 60 years. It also caused the death of more than 200 pilots.

The Indian Air Force's remaining 54 MiG-21 Bisons will be completely phased out by 2025.