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The Indian Air Force officially retired its legendary MiG-21 combatant jets connected September 26, marking the extremity of astir six decades of work for the craft wide hailed arsenic the “workhorse” of India’s aerial defence.
A ceremonial flypast and decommissioning lawsuit was held astatine the IAF basal successful Chandigarh.
Also Read | IAF’s unending combatant conundrum | Explained
MiG-21, a azygous motor supersonic pitchy combatant and interceptor aircraft, was the backbone of Indian Air Force till the mid-2000s, erstwhile the Sukhoi Su-30MKIs were brought in.
Also Read | How are the MiG-21 combatant jets being phased out? | Explained
Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
Inducted successful 1963, the MiG-21 was India’s archetypal supersonic fighter, with its maiden squadron — the 28 Squadron astatine Chandigarh — earning the nickname First Supersonics. Over the years, India inducted much than 700 MiG-21s of antithetic variants, galore built domestically by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Photo: MOORTHY RV
Dilbagh Singh, who became the IAF main successful 1981, led the archetypal MiG-21 Squadron successful Chandigarh successful 1963.
Indian Air Force’s MiG-21 craft up of the ‘MiG-21 Operational Flying Culmination Ceremony’ astatine the Air Force Station successful Chandigarh. Photo: X/@IAF_MCC via PTI Photo
Photo: R.V. Moorthy
MiG-21 craft getting h2o canon salute during its status ceremony.
Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
At Yercaud Summer Festival successful Tamil Nadu, a MiG 21 was recreated with flowers connected May 31, 2019 to commomorate the craft and Wg. Cdr. Abhinandan Varthaman, who flew it during the Balakot strike. He downed a F-16 Pakistani combatant successful an aerial combat and was yet captured by the Pakistani Army.
Photo: Thulasi Kakkat
A MiG 29K combatant craft sits snugly successful the hangar of the maiden indigenous craft carrier, Vikrant.
Photo: PTI
Indian Air Force craft execute aerial maneuvers during rehearsals up of the ‘MiG-21 Operational Flying Culmination Ceremony’ astatine Chandigarh Air Force Station (AFS), successful Chandigarh, connected September 24, 2025.
Photo: AP
Indian Air Force combatant jets MIG-21 alert past during Air Force Day celebrations astatine Sangam, the beatified confluence of Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, successful Prayagraj, India, connected October 8, 2023.
Photo: R.V. Moorthy
MiG-21 'Bison' successful a Vic enactment releasing thermal flares during a alert past astatine the afloat formal rehearsal of the Air Force Day astatine Hindon successful Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh connected October 06, 2017.
Photo: K.R. Deepak
Fly past by naval MiG 29K during the Presidential Fleet Review successful Visakhapatnam connected February 21, 2022.
Photo: The Hindu Archives
Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh, being ceremonially pulled successful an MIG-21 astatine the extremity of his farewell sojourn to the Air Force Station astatine Hindon Air Base adjacent New Delhi connected on April 15, 1969. The Air Chief did his MIG solo from this presumption connected his 50th birthday.
Photo: Sandeep Saxena
A MiG-21 craft installed successful UP Sainik School field (the alma mater of Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey) successful Lucknow.
Photo: The Hindu Archives
Airman technicians preparing a MIG-21 combatant bomber for a trial formation aft the overhaul astatine the Base Repair Depot astatine Ozhar, Maharashtra connected July 24, 1982. This is the archetypal MIG-21 being overhauled by the Air Force technicians.
Photo: The Hindu Archives
A Squardron person briefing the past Defence Minister Sharad Pawar astir the cockpit layout of a MIG-23, earlier going for a run, astatine a guardant aerial base, successful the Western Sector connected February 21, 1992.
Photo: R.V. Moorthy
Composite Aircraft Flypast consisting of 1 MiG-21, 2 MiG-27, 2 MiG-29 and 2 Su 30MKI during the IRON FIST 2016, which displayed powers of the Indian Airforce successful Chandhan occurrence scope successful Pokran connected March 18, 2016.
Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav on with Air Marshal Shyam Bihari Prasad Sinha, Air Officer Commanding -in-chief (Central) and Urban Development Minister, Azam Khan, during installation of supersonic combatant craft MiG-21 astatine the Janeshwar Mishar parkland successful Lucknow connected January 14, 2016.
A combatant aviator rushing to MiG-21 combatant interceptor for a speedy take-off to prosecute an force craft during an aerial defence exercise. (Published successful THE HINDU connected October 03, 1981) PHOTO: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
