IAF Bids Farewell to MiG-21 at Uttaralai in Rajasthan

The Indian Air Force (IAF) bode farewell to MiG-21 Bison aircraft after nearly 57 years marking the end of an era of the fighter aircraft when they were seen for the last time in the skies of Uttarlai in Barmer district, Rajasthan on Monday.
The MiG-21 Bison flew alongside the Su-30 MKI to mark the occasion, during which the personnel from all the three services-IAF, Indian Navy and Indian Army were present.
The MiG-21 Squadron has served the country for approximately six decades and had significantly contributed to the war effort during Indo-Pak conflicts. The aircraft had played a pivotal role in the bombing of many cities in Pakistan.
The squadron known as “Oorials” has been operating the MiG-21 since 1966 and is now being re-equipped with the Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft. This change signifies the unwavering commitment of the IAF to modernise and protect the skies of the nation, an official statement read.
The Russian origin MIG 21 Bison had been one of the India’s sixth fighter jets. It is a single engine single-seater multirole fighter aircraft.
As of now, the IAF operates nearly 50 MiG-21s across three distinct squadrons. Now a plan has been finalised to systematically decommission these older aircraft. The force is planning to replace the MiG-21 squadrons with the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-1A, to fill the gap of the outgoing MiG-21s. The first batch of LCA Mark-1A fighter jets is expected to delivered around February 2024.
The IAF first acquired MiG in the early sixties. Then the force added nearly 870 of these fighters to bolster its aerial combat strength. The Bison had been the IAF’s most advanced MiG-21 variant.  However over 400 MiG-21s were involved in accidents that claimed the lives of around 200 pilots during the last six decades, turning the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane and its safety record.