Recently a MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan, killing two pilots aboard the training version of the fighter aircraft.
Presently the IAF has around 70 MiG-21 aircraft and 50 MiG-29 variants.
At present, there are four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft serving in the Indian Air Force, each squadron consisting of 16-18 aircraft, including two training versions.
Phase out
The IAF also plans to phase out three squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets over the next five years.
It is a part of the modernization drive of the Indian Air Force.
All four MiG-21 squadrons are planned to be retired by the year 2025.
MiG-21:
The MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, manufactured by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.
MiG is a fighter aircraft procured from the Soviet Union which has been serving in the AIF since 1959.
About 60 countries across four continents have used the MiG-21 and it is still in service in many countries six decades after its first flight.
India inducted the MiG-21 in the year 1963 and received full technology transfer and license-manufacturing rights of the aircraft in the country.
Russia ceased production of the aircraft in 1985, while India continued to operate improved versions.
MiG-21 Crash in India:
There have been 108 air crashes and damages in the last ten years, involving all armaments of the Indian Air Force, Navy, Army and Coast Guard.
Of these, 21 accidents involved the MiG-21 Bison and its variants.
The aircraft was nicknamed the ‘Flying Coffin’ due to the high rate of accidents.
There is no single common cause of military aircraft crashes. These can range from weather, human error, technical error to ‘bird hit’.
MiG-21 is a single engine fighter jet which may also cause some accidents.
It is a single engine fighter jet and needs to be restarted when its engine shuts down but it takes a certain amount of time, so if you are below the minimum altitude you have to jump off the plane.
No Comments