AIR FORCE DAY-2023: MiG-21s to get formal send-off in last air display

In 2019, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (then a Wing Commander) of the No 51 squadron based in Srinagar, while flying a MiG-21 Bison, had downed a Pakistan Air Force F-16 aircraft.

The legendary MiG-21 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will fly for the last time in any air display over the Sangam in Prayagraj on October 8. The process of gradually retiring these Russian-made jets from the air force has already commenced.

MiG-21 of IAF (HT FILE PHOTO)

In 2019, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (then a Wing Commander) of the No 51 squadron based in Srinagar, while flying a MiG-21 Bison, had downed a Pakistan Air Force F-16 aircraft.

The MiG-21 was introduced into the IAF in 1963. Currently, only three operational MiG-21 squadrons exist within the IAF. All of them are scheduled to be phased out by early 2025.

“The air display will witness a formal send-off to these fighter aircraft over Sangam with their last-ever flight in an air display,” said defence PRO Group Captain Samir Gangakhedkar.

It will be a memorable and emotional moment for IAF as this battle proven old horse is bid adieu by IAF, but will be remembered for years to come, he added.

The MiG-21s have demonstrated their effectiveness in several of India’s past wars. During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the MiG-21s (Type 77 variant) played a significant role in tilting the war in India’s favour. The MiG-21 was also a key asset for the IAF in the 1965 war and the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.

The MiG-21s are single-engine, single-seater multi-role fighter and ground attack planes. Initially designed as interceptor aircraft, they underwent numerous upgrades over the decades to perform various fighter aircraft roles, including ground attack. Since 1963, India acquired over 700 MiG-21 aircraft of different versions, such as the Type-77, Type-96, and the BIS. The most recent variant is the MiG-21 Bison, featuring advanced missiles, radars, and improved avionics. Over 100 MiG-21s in the IAF have been upgraded to Bison since 2006. Indigenously developed Tejas Mark-1A aircraft are set to replace the MiG-21s from 2025 onwards.

C-295 set for grand Air Force Day debut

PRAYAGRAJ The recently inducted C-295 transport aircraft will make its debut at the Air Force Day on October 8 over the Sangam. This new military transport aircraft joined the 11 Squadron in September 2023, and will replace the old Avros-748 planes used by the IAF. The first tranche of 16 C-295 will be made in Seville, Spain, with the second one expected to arrive in May 2024. The remaining 14 aircraft will come one per month until August 2025. To boost India’s defence manufacturing, the other 40 C-295 from the IAF order will be made and assembled in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in India for which a Final Assembly Line (FAL) is being set up in Vadodara.