During a training exercise, an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed on Thursday night when their twin-seater MiG-21 trainer plane crashed during a training mission near Barmer, Rajasthan.
According to the IAF, a court of inquiry has been established to determine the cause of the accident. Following the crash, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari. Singh expressed his grief over the deaths of the two pilots in a tweet.
1. MiG-21's origin
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The MiG-21 is the longest-serving aircraft in the Indian Air Force. It was designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the 1950s1. India got its first single-engine MiG-21 in 1963, and went on to purchase 874 of the Soviet-made supersonic fighters.
2. MiG-21 vs F-16
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Indian Air Force’s Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 the day after India's airstrikes on the Pakistani border town of Balakot, garnering widespread media attention in 2019.
3. MiG-21 accidents
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Due to multiple accidents, the aircraft has been called the "widow-maker" or "flying coffin." In 2012, former Defense Minister AK Antony reported more than half of 872 Russian MiGs had crashed. More than 200 individuals lost their lives as a result, including 171 pilots, 39 civilians, and eight members of the armed forces.
4. MiG-21 retirements
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In spite of the fact that the Soviet Air removed it from service in the year 1985, Indian Air Force continues to fly the aircraft. Even Bangladesh and Afghanistan stopped using it, when it was no longer safe to do so.
(Photo: ANI)
5. MiG-21 replacement
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IAF plans to introduce many Tejas LCA in the next few years to replace the ageing aircraft. In 2021, the Indian government awarded Hindustan Aeronautics Limited a contract worth Rs 48,000 crore to build 83 LCA Mk-1A planes for the Indian Air Force.
6. Indian Air Force squadrons
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There are 32 squadrons in the Indian Air Force, less than the 42 authorised by the government to face a China-Pakistan danger. Once the MiG-21 is phased out by 2024-25, the total number of squadrin will be reduced to 28.
