In brief
After serving as the backbone of the Indian Air Force for more than 60 years, the MiG-21 fighter jet is retiring. Revered and criticized alike, it was known for both its combat prowess and safety issues, accumulating a grim reputation with numerous crashes over its lifetime. While memories of heroic missions linger, the legacy of the MiG-21 is both cherished and debated.
The first time he throttled the MiG-21 to full power, soaring 20km above the Earth at twice the speed of sound, the young fighter pilot felt utterly weightless, as if the sky itself had let him go.
At Mach 2 you can feel the lightness in the stomach. The MiG-21's turns at that speed are vast - banking sharply can carry you over many kilometres before completing a full arc, recalls Air Marshal (retired) Prithvi Singh Brar, who joined the Air Force in 1960 and flew the MiG-21 for 26 years.
After six decades of admiration and infamy, India's iconic warplane is taking its last flight on Friday. The MiG-21 was once two-thirds of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet and has garnered fierce loyalty from its pilots, despite being nicknamed the flying coffin after numerous deadly crashes. Official records indicate that between 1971-2012, 482 crashes were documented, leading to 171 pilot fatalities.
Despite its notorious safety issues, the MiG-21, designed by the Soviets, was renowned for its speed and adaptability. The aircraft played crucial roles in conflicts like the 1971 war with Pakistan and was a hallmark of India's defense relationship with Russia.
Defence analysts suggest that the MiG-21's legacy is tangled with nostalgia and tragedy. Pilot error and technical challenges frequently blamed for its crashes indicate a darker side to the fighter's storied past. Even as India retires its last squadrons, echoes of pilots recounting their fondness for the aircraft linger, cementing the MiG-21 as a complex emblem of India's aviation history.
