The retirement of India’s MiG-21 fighters on September 26, 2025, marks the end of an era and the beginning of a critical transition. For more than six decades, the Soviet-origin jet symbolised India’s leap into the supersonic age. From the wars of 1965 and 1971 to countless interceptions in later decades, the MiG-21 carved a lasting place in Indian air force history. Yet its continued use long past its prime revealed structural weaknesses in India’s defence planning and procurement.

A Legacy of Service And Strain

The MiG-21 was revolutionary in its time, providing the Indian Air Force (IAF) with unmatched agility and speed. It not only proved decisive in combat but also brought prestige to India’s military aviation on the global stage. However, this proud legacy was clouded by tragedy. With more than 300 crashes over time, the aircraft earned its grim reputation as the “flying coffin.” These accidents were largely driven by ageing airframes, inadequate upgrades, and institutional delays that failed to deliver timely replacements.

The Deeper Problem: Institutional Delays

The prolonged reliance on MiG-21s exposes an underlying issue of systemic delays in defence modernisation. India’s defence research, procurement, and manufacturing processes have struggled to deliver indigenous replacements on time. Domestic projects often faltered not because of lack of skill, but because of limited political backing, bureaucratic hurdles, and over dependence on imported technologies. This inability to manage cycles of replacement left India dangerously exposed, relying on aircraft designed in the Cold War to protect a nation in the 21st century.

The Current State of Indigenous Fighters

India’s indigenous fighter programs are at a defining juncture. The TEJAS MK-1 is already serving frontline squadrons, but the IAF looks to its far more capable successor, the TEJAS MK-2, which is still under development. Equally vital is the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), designed to be India’s first stealth-capable fifth-generation fighter. The Navy too awaits its dedicated platform—the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), tailored for upcoming aircraft carriers. All three programs hold immense promise for military autonomy, but time is not on India’s side.

Regional Pressures And Strategic Urgency

While India debates timelines, its neighbours advance aggressively. China has operationalised its stealth J-20 fighter and is now experimenting with sixth-generation concepts, including swarming drones and directed-energy weapons. Pakistan, though technologically inferior, has ensured steady reinforcement of its air capabilities through the JF-17 program in joint development with China. Any delay in India’s fleet modernisation threatens to create a capability gap at precisely the moment when regional air warfare is accelerating into a new technological race.

Balancing Imports With Self-Reliance

The Rafale fighters inducted into the IAF in recent years provide vital short-term capability advantages. Acting as a deterrent and a technological benchmark, Rafales fill the interim role as indigenous designs mature. However, India must carefully balance imported stop-gaps with long-term self-reliance goals. Over dependence on expensive foreign platforms risks perpetuating the cycle that left the MiG-21 in service far beyond its relevance. True air power autonomy will only come when TEJAS MK-2, AMCA, and TEDBF move from drawing boards to combat units without decades-long lag.

Building The Aerospace Ecosystem

The success of India’s next-generation fighters depends not just on the aircraft themselves but on a strong ecosystem of innovation. This requires accountability from DRDO and state-owned aerospace enterprises, streamlined funding and testing processes, and a far greater role for the private sector. India’s defence start-ups and private manufacturers must be integrated into a collaborative supply chain that accelerates timelines and fosters breakthroughs in engine development, radar technology, avionics, and electronic warfare.

Expanding The Definition of Air Power

Modern air power has evolved far beyond traditional aerial combat. Precision strikes, electronic warfare, AI-assisted decision-making, unmanned systems, and cyber integration are now central to air dominance. India’s forthcoming platforms must therefore be fully networked into a broader combat web of drones, surveillance aircraft, satellites, and ground-based sensors. Falling short in these domains would risk strategic irrelevance, even if advanced jets eventually arrive.

Learning From The MiG-21 Experience

The farewell of the MiG-21 is more than an emotional milestone. It embodies the courage and sacrifice of pilots who flew an aircraft that became more dangerous with age. But it also serves as a warning against complacency. India must not repeat the cycle of stretching obsolete technologies until forced into crisis-driven change. Instead, the lesson is to embrace decisive transitions and prioritise readiness for the future battlespace.

Future Outlook

India now faces an urgent choice. It must ensure the TEJAS MK-2 meets its production deadlines, fast-track the AMCA program into the prototype stage, and accelerate development of the TEDBF for naval aviation. Investment in unmanned combat aerial vehicles, indigenous engines, and next-gen electronic warfare must be sustained and shielded from bureaucratic slowdowns. If pursued decisively, these programs can finally give India the aerospace autonomy it has long aspired to achieve. If delayed, they risk leaving the IAF vulnerable at a historic moment of strategic flux.

Structured timeline table of India’s key next-generation fighter programs with milestones, projected induction, and risks:

India’s Next-Gen Fighter Program Timeline

ProgramCurrent StatusKey Milestones AchievedNext MilestonesExpected InductionMajor Risks/Challenges
TEJAS MK-2Prototype development stage; CDR (Critical Design Review) completedFuselage design frozen (2022); Initial metal cutting (2023); Major assemblies underwayFirst prototype roll-out: 2026; First flight: 20272030 (Initial Operational Clearance)Engine dependence on GE-414 (imported), production delays, limited HAL capacity
AMCADesign phase; prototype preparationCDR completed (2024); Wind tunnel & radar cross-section validation tests donePrototype build start: 2026; First flight: 20292035 (Mk-1 variant); 2040 (Mk-2 with indigenous engine expected)High cost (~₹15,000–20,000 crore), stealth material & sensor fusion challenges, engine co-development with Safran not finalized
Twin Engine Deck Based FighterEarly design phaseConfiguration frozen (2024); Wind tunnel testing completedPrototype rollout: 2029; Carrier trials: 20312035Naval funding constraints, parallel carrier development delays, risk of competition with Rafale-M imports
TEJAS MK-1AProduction underway at HALFirst delivery (2024); AESA radar & EW upgrades integratedDelivery of 83 units by 2029Already inducted, to be phased in fully by 2029HAL production bottlenecks, supply chain for avionics
Ghatak/SWiFTTechnology demonstrators in testingStealth UAV prototype SWiFT tested (2022 onwards)Full-scale Ghatak prototype roll-out: ~2026; Flight trials: 20282032 (operational capability)AI-enabled autonomy, stealth engine tech, joint ops integration with manned fighters

Closing Perspective

India’s air warriors deserve more than nostalgia for past jets and promises of future dreams. They require systems that can truly dominate tomorrow’s skies—delivered on time, in numbers, and with full-spectrum technological integration. The retirement of the MiG-21 is not the end of India’s air power story; it is the signal that the future must not be postponed. The wings of tomorrow must arrive now, in strength, and with vision aligned to India’s ambitions as a great power.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)