MIG-21

1. Context

2. About the MIG-21 aircraft

• The MiG-21s are among the six fighter jets presently flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and for a long period has been the backbone of the IAF.
• The MiG-21s are single-engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack aircraft.
• While they were first inducted in 1963 as interceptor aircraft, over the next few decades they were upgraded to perform a variety of roles performed by a fighter aircraft, including ground attack.
• India has procured over 700 MiG-21 aircraft of different variants since then, such as the Type-77, Type-96 and the BIS.
• The latest of them is the MiG-21 Bison, which is an upgraded aircraft with advanced missiles and radars and better avionics.
• Over 100 MiG-21s with the IAF have been upgraded to Bison since 2006.
• The aircraft in the past had proved their mettle in several wars fought by India.
  For instance, in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the Mi-21s (Type 77 variant) played a major role in swaying the war's result in India's favour.
• The combat jet was also among the mainstay of the IAF in the 1965 war and the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.
• In 2019, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (Then a Wing Commander) of the erstwhile Srinagar-based No 51 Squadron was flying a MiG-21 Bison when he downed an F-16 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.

3. Past MiG Accidents and Causes

• As per available government data, close to 500 MiG-21s have crashed in the last 60 years, killing over 170 pilots.
• More than 20 aircraft have crashed since 2010. In fact, in the very first year of its induction in 1963, two of the Soviet-era aircraft had crashed.
• A trainer version of the fighter aircraft crashed killing two pilots on board and in 2021, there were five MiG-21 Bison crashes that killed three pilots.
• The reasons for the crashes have been several ranging from technical defects, human error, bird hits or spatial disorientation of pilots in certain circumstances.

4. Phased out of the aircraft

• There are three squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF.
• Each squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft, aside from one or two trainer versions.
• In September last year, the decorated No 51 squadron was number plated.
• The three MiG-21 Bison Squadrons are planned to be phased out by December 2025.

5. Reasons for IAF to continue flying the MiG Aircraft

• The IAF has a sanctioned squadron strength of  42, even though its current squadron strength is around 30.
• Phasing out the fighter jets earlier would bring down the IAF's fighter squadron strength at dangerously low levels, especially till they are replaced by the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Squadrons.
• The IAF can at the most reach 35 squadrons by the next decade even after considering new fighter acquisitions and the planned phasing out of existing squadrons of ageing fighter jets.
• Senior IAF officers, particularly those who have flown the aircraft, have often said the aircraft did not have an abysmal safety record when compared to the number of flying hours and the years in service and have on various occasions highlighted the rigorous maintenance and checks that every fighter aircraft undertakes before going on a sortie.