As the Indian Air Force (IAF) prepares to bid farewell to one of its most iconic aircraft, the MiG-21, the story of this Cold War-era warbird is being retold with pride, nostalgia, and reflection. On September 19, 2025, at Chandigarh airbase, the MiG-21 will make its final touchdown, closing a remarkable chapter of Indian military aviation that began more than sixty years ago.

For generations of Indian fighter pilots, the MiG-21 was not merely a machine of war—it was a constant companion, a training ground, and a proving field for endurance, skill, and courage.

Inducted in 1963 after India turned to the Soviet Union in response to Pakistan acquiring the American F-104 Starfighter, the MiG-21 became India’s first supersonic fighter jet. Lightweight, with a powerful engine and capable of speeds exceeding Mach 2, the delta-wing design revolutionised IAF tactics.

Over the decades, India inducted over 1,200 units across multiple variants, both imported and assembled domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), making it one of the largest MiG-21 fleets outside Russia.

Versatile in its roles, the MiG-21 operated as an interceptor, ground-attack aircraft, and multirole platform, serving in key conflicts such as the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, the Kargil War of 1999, and even in the 2019 aerial skirmish when Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 Bison shot down a Pakistani F-16.

Among the countless pilots who entrusted their lives to its cockpit, few speak with as much clarity and fondness as Air Marshal Prithvi Singh Brar (Retd), a former Vice-Chief of Air Staff, who spent decades mastering and shaping the MiG-21’s role in the IAF.

Brar was one of the first Indian pilots trained on the jet, flying it for the first time in Chandigarh in 1966, and again for the last time in 2000, just two days before his retirement. Narrating one of his most memorable experiences during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, he recalled a hair-raising encounter when, after bombing Pakistan’s Rafiqul air base, he found himself pursued by four F-86 Sabres.

Outnumbered and facing certain death, he relied on instinct, experience, and the MiG-21’s blistering speed to evade them. The Pakistani jets could not keep pace, allowing him to return safely to base—a testament to both the machine’s unmatched agility and the pilot’s combat skill.

During the 1971 war, the MiG-21 earned its reputation as a game-changer. It delivered precision strikes, executed high-speed interceptions, and allowed the IAF to dominate the skies at critical junctures. At Adampur, where Brar and his squadron trained extensively, the aircraft underwent combat trials tailored to Indian conditions, including night flying and attack sorties.

Between April and December 1971, as war clouds thickened, IAF pilots flew relentless training missions, preparing for combat roles the aircraft had never been assigned before. When the war finally broke out in December, the MiG-21 proved its mettle, striking Pakistani airbases, surprising adversaries, and tilting the balance of aerial supremacy in India’s favour.

Beyond combat, the MiG-21 became a rigorous training platform for generations of Indian pilots. Its speed, demanding handling, high landing velocity of around 330 kmph, and limited tolerance for error acted as the ultimate test of a fighter pilot’s mettle.

Many officers testified that if one could master the MiG-21, one could fly anything. Brar himself trained not only Indian pilots but also Iraqi airmen on the MiG-21, highlighting its international reach and credibility as a global frontline fighter across nearly 60 air forces worldwide.

Yet, despite its stellar combat record, the aircraft acquired darker nicknames like the ‘flying coffin’ and ‘widow maker’. Media reports and grieving families highlighted a series of tragic crashes, claiming the lives of more than 200 IAF pilots over the years.

Critics of its extended service life argued that the jet far outlived its prime. Supporters, like Brar, however, maintain that such labels overlooked the broader truth—that the MiG-21 had flown millions of hours, delivered exceptional performance, and that IAF accident rates were never worse than those of advanced Western air forces.

In reality, the problems stemmed from the aging of airframes, slower induction of replacements, and the inherent risks of a supersonic interceptor designed in the 1950s being asked to perform frontline duties well into the 21st century.

By the 1980s, newer variants like the MiG-21bis extended its relevance, and in the early 2000s, over a hundred were upgraded into the Bison standard with modern avionics, multi-function displays, and electronic warfare suites to give the aircraft a fighting chance in contemporary aerial battles.

However, the delays in India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas program forced successive extensions of MiG-21 service, with final phase-out timelines pushed first from 2017, then to 2022, and now culminating in 2025. At its peak, the IAF operated nearly 400 MiG-21s across 19 squadrons, but by the end of this year, only history and museum displays will carry its legacy forward.

For India’s veterans like Air Marshal Brar, the farewell is bittersweet. The MiG-21, which carried him across the skies of Lahore, Amritsar, and Srinagar, symbolised a time of national transformation, where India built its strategic independence not only on the ground but also in the skies.

For young cadets who cut their teeth on its demanding controls, it was a stern yet invaluable mentor. And for the nation, it was the fighter that carried India into the supersonic era, executed victories against formidable adversaries, and stood guard through cold wars, hot wars, and uneasy peace.

As one of the most widely produced jets in aviation history exits IAF service, its legacy will remain etched in both the annals of Indian Air Force history and in the memories of the pilots who risked everything in its cockpit. The MiG-21 may no longer roar through Indian skies after September, but its legend—of speed, resilience, triumph, and sacrifice—will endure across generations.

Based On TOI Report