Indian Air Force will retire 'flying coffin' after 62 years, Tejas LCA Mark 1A will replace it
Indian Air Force will retire its MiG-21 fighter planes by September 19, which will be replaced by Tejas LCA Mark 1A. MiG-21, inducted in 1963, will be removed after 62 years of service. India's first supersonic jet MiG-21 was also used in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War and Balakot air strike. Due to accidents, it is also called flying coffin.
Indian Air Force will phase out its MiG-21 fighter jets by September 19 and will be replaced by Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A.
These planes were initially inducted in 1963 and will be taken out of the Air Force fleet after a service period of 62 years. Defense officials provided this information on Tuesday. According to them, MiG-21 is India's first supersonic jet. These were acquired in 1963 under an agreement with the former Soviet Union. This aircraft was used limitedly in the 1965 India-Pakistan War but after that it was used in many military confrontations.
This fighter aircraft was also used during the Balakot airstrike against terrorist camps in Pakistan in 2019. Current Air Force Chief AP Singh recently flew the MiG-21 aircraft. This fighter aircraft has been the mainstay of the Air Force's operations right now. However, it is also called a 'flying coffin' due to several accidents.
