The first time he engaged the MiG-21’s afterburner, ascending to 20 kilometers above the Earth at twice the speed of sound, the young fighter pilot experienced a profound sense of weightlessness, as if liberated by the very sky he traversed.
“At Mach 2, you feel a certain lightness in the stomach. The MiG-21’s turning radius at that speed is considerable – a sharp bank can carry you over many kilometers before completing a full arc,” recounts Air Marshal (retired) Prithvi Singh Brar. He entered the Air Force in 1960, transitioned to the Soviet jet in 1966, and piloted it for the subsequent 26 years.
“I cherished flying the MiG-21 with the same fervor a bird has for the sky. In combat, it was my protector – when a hawk threatens a bird, the clever bird evades. That is what the MiG-21 represented to me,” he stated.
After six decades of both admiration and, later, notoriety, India’s most iconic warplane is poised to undertake its final flight this Friday. At its zenith, the MiG-21 formed the core of the Indian Air Force (IAF), constituting two-thirds of its fighter fleet. It fostered unwavering loyalty among its pilots, yet also earned the somber moniker “flying coffin” following a series of fatal incidents during its later years.
According to official records, India acquired 872 MiG aircraft of various models between 1966 and 1980.
From 1971–72 to April 2012, 482 MiG crashes were documented, resulting in the loss of 171 pilots, 39 civilians, eight service personnel, and one aircrew member, “attributable to both human error and technical malfunctions.” Official data has not been updated since.
“The MiG-21 possesses a mixed legacy. The fighter served as the mainstay of the IAF for over three decades, playing diverse roles in all of India’s conflicts since the 1965 war with Pakistan,” remarks Rahul Bhatia, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk consultancy. “However, beginning in the early 2000s, the fighter became more recognized for its elevated crash rate. While pilots remember the MiG-21 fondly, the aircraft remained in service considerably longer than advisable,” he adds.
Originally designed by the Soviets and introduced in 1963, the needle-nosed MiG-21 was exceptionally slender, remarkably swift at altitude, and possessed an extraordinary climb rate. At its peak, the jet was in service with more than 50 air forces – from the Soviet Union, China, and India to Egypt, Iraq, and Vietnam – establishing it as one of the most extensively operated supersonic jets in history.
In India, where the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) commenced license production in the mid-1960s, the MiG-21 became a cornerstone of IAF squadrons, valued for its versatility across a range of combat roles.
Pilots describe the MiG-21’s cockpit as offering little in the way of comfort – simply a single seat with the sky looming all around.
The air conditioning, designed for Russian winters, proved inadequate during scorching Indian summers. At lower altitudes, cockpits often became stifling, and pilots could lose a kilogram or more of body weight during a single sortie, according to Air Marshal (retired) Vinod K. Bhatia.
“Most of my sorties lasted around 30 minutes, so the discomfort was manageable. Ultimately, however, it was all part of the experience and still enjoyable,” he shared.
Initially a high-altitude interceptor engineered for speed and short-range climbs to rapidly engage the enemy, the MiG-21 was quickly adapted by the IAF for close-quarters combat and ground attack missions.
By the 1971 war with Pakistan, it had evolved into a formidable multi-role fighter, though in the 1965 conflict, it was still a relatively new interceptor. The MiG-21 also shaped India’s defense ties with Russia and catalysed the growth of its own aerospace industry.
“We remarkably adapted the aircraft to Indian conditions. Despite its design limitations and lack of suitability for close combat, we pushed its capabilities beyond the scope of Russian test pilots and manuals, achieving exceptional proficiency in close combat flying,” states Air Marshal Brar.
This adaptability defined its role in the 1971 war. MiG-21s executed low-level night strikes deep within Pakistani territory. One formation attacked the governor’s residence in Dhaka, firing rockets through its roof vents.
“Each aircraft carried two 500kg bombs, and I flew three to four such missions. Taking off from Amritsar, we were inside Pakistan within 35 minutes, struck our targets 250km deep, and returned via Rajasthan – the shortest route,” recounts Air Marshal Brar.
Every fighter jet possesses unique characteristics, and the MiG-21 was no exception – rapid descents and even high-speed stalls were inherent to its nature, according to Air Marshal Bhatia. “Master it, respect it, and it was a magnificent aircraft to fly,” he says.
For the pilots who flew it, the MiG-21’s tarnished reputation in later years is unwarranted. “The media was unduly critical of the aircraft,” one remarked.
Defense analyst Rahul Bedi suggests there’s “misplaced nostalgia surrounding the MiG-21 due to its association with numerous fatalities.” Many attribute the frequent crashes to aging airframes and prolonged maintenance cycles.
“The MiG-21’s primary challenge lay in its engine and high landing speed, which complicated descents on short runways and contributed to many accidents – often attributed to pilot error. Attempts to retire the fighters were consistently delayed by inefficiency and bureaucratic obstacles,” says Mr. Bedi.
The air force was compelled to repeatedly extend the MiG-21’s service life due to the unavailability of replacements. The light combat aircraft intended to replace it was conceived in 1981, first flew in 2001, and even now, decades later, only two squadrons are operational.
With the retirement of its last two MiG-21 squadrons, India will now operate 29 fighter units, short of its sanctioned 42. Yet, for the pilots who piloted it, the MiG-21 was more than just a machine – it was a partner in the sky.
Air Marshal Brar experienced that connection firsthand, flying his final sortie from Chandigarh just two days before his retirement in July 2000.
“I was airborne once more, like a bird taking its last flight. Upon landing and exiting the cockpit, I felt utterly content.”
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