After six decades in the skies, the MiG-21 bows out, a versatile warrior that redefined India’s air power across generations.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The MiG-21 India story spans six decades—air combat, ground attack, training, and innovation—cementing its place as the IAF’s most versatile fighter.
As the Indian Air Force (IAF) bids farewell to the MiG-21 on 26 September 2025, it is only appropriate to reflect on how this versatile fighter evolved during its six-decade journey with the IAF. Not only has it emerged as the longest-serving fighter in an established air force since military aviation’s evolution in the early 1900s, but the highly adaptable IAF also exploited the platform in ways that even the former Soviet Union failed to envisage when the first variants of the aircraft rolled out in the late 1950s.
Initially inducted into the IAF in 1963 as the MiG-21 Type-74—an air defence fighter armed only with two K-13 heat-seeking missiles and very basic infrared homing seekers—the aircraft cut its teeth during the Second India-Pakistan conflict of 1965. Although the single squadron (28 Squadron) did not achieve any kills, its pilots gained critical combat experience that pointed to the need to add weaponry and expand its mission sets for greater combat effectiveness. The fitment of an external gun pod (GP-9) to accommodate the Gasha 23 mm cannon provided extra firepower that was considered essential for air combat at the time, particularly to bring it on par with the Pakistani F-86 Sabre and F-104 Starfighter jets, which carried both missiles and guns. However, this modification on the Type-77, executed indigenously by No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was restricted to only a few squadrons as war clouds loomed on the horizon in 1971.
One of the earliest and most significant transformations of the MiG-21 occurred here, as it was validated for strafing and bombing missions, capable of carrying guns, rockets, and bombs.
During the 1960s, the Hunter Mk 56 was the IAF’s primary ground-attack aircraft, supplemented by the Sukhoi-7, a dedicated ground-attack aircraft, in the late 1960s. Not content to sit back as a pure air defence fighter, the formation of the IAF's Tactics and Combat Development & Training Squadron (TCDTS) in February 1971 led to much innovation in the realm of air-to-air and air-to-ground tactics. One of the earliest and most significant transformations of the MiG-21 occurred here, as it was validated for strafing and bombing missions, capable of carrying guns, rockets, and bombs.
The subsequent 1971 India-Pakistan War resulted in the validation of this role diversification—especially in the Eastern Sector—where MiG-21s played a critical role in rendering Tezgaon (Dhaka) airfield out of action by carrying out never-attempted-before steep glide bombing missions to crater the airstrip. This allowed the IAF to gain air superiority over East Pakistan, paving the way for unrestricted ground, air, and naval operations. The final nail in the coffin that led to the collapse of the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan was a series of rocket attacks by MiG-21s and Hunters on the Government House in Dhaka on 14 December 1971, where a closed-door meeting of top government functionaries, including the governor, was in progress. On the Western Front, while most MiG-21s focused on air defence—performing magnificently and downing several Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighters—a few aircraft from Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) carried out daring single-aircraft, low-level night raids, striking Pakistani airfields with pinpoint accuracy using 500 kg bombs. In addition, the Type 77 was also modified with a KA-60 camera to shoulder the photo-reconnaissance role.
Following the documentary success of the MiG-21Type 77 (or the MiG-21 FL in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization parlance), the Russians soon offered India the MiG-21 M, also known as the ‘Type 96’ in the IAF. Sweetening the deal with licensed production in India—along with R-11 engine—proved to be a game-changer, and from 1973 onwards, several squadrons converted to the Type 96. The Type 96 had a better radar (RP-21). It housed an internal 23 mm Gasha cannon and a centerline station with an 800-litre fuel tank capacity, which could also carry a combination of external tanks, bombs, rockets, and K-13 missiles on the four wing pylons. Pilots who later transitioned into manning the MiG-21 Type 96 in the late 1970s were expected to be proficient in both air defence and ground attack roles. Although Russians offered a marginally more powerful R-13 engine—fitted onto two squadrons of MiG-21s for IAF trials—the service chose to retain the R-11 for both the Type 77 and Type 96 to simplify inventory management. The author of this article flew this variant, the MiG-21 MF, for two years.
The final nail in the coffin that led to the collapse of the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan was a series of rocket attacks by MiG-21s and Hunters on the Government House in Dhaka on 14 December 1971.
Unconvinced by this role diversification and realising the need for a dedicated Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft, the IAF once again turned to the MiG-21. This is where the IAF’s jugaad or domestic innovation came into play. In 1978, a team of IAF test pilots and electronics engineers, supported by DRDO scientists, modified, integrated, and configured Swedish Chatterbox EW pods for carriage on the MiG-21 T-96. Weighing slightly over 250 kgs, carrying two 490-litre drop tanks and an 800-litre centerline tank, this configuration rendered the aircraft particularly demanding to operate, with pilots functioning at the margins of the MiG-21’s stability envelope. The EW version of the MiG-21 T-96 was the IAF’s sole dedicated offensive EW aircraft until the Mirage-2000s were inducted in the mid-1980s and subsequently assumed the role. Although there is not much available in the open domain about this initiative, the author has served in this squadron for almost five years in the mid-1980s.
Lacking a dedicated tactical photo reconnaissance aircraft before the induction of the Jaguar, the MiG-21 T-96 was modified to carry the British Vinten 751 and 518 cameras in the belly tank. Two squadrons were modified for this role, with one of them (17 Squadron) performing the role in active operations during the Kargil War.
A concurrent development was the induction of the MiG-21 Bis between 1975 and 1978. This variant would remain the workhorse of the IAF’s air defence fleet for over a decade until the MiG-23s, MiG-29s, Mirage–2000s, and SU-30s were integrated into service in the 1980s and 1990s. Fitted with a significantly more powerful engine, the R-25, and the modest Almaz radar that could be used to lock on and fire the much-improved R-60 and Matra Magic-2 heat-seeking missiles, the Bis was used principally as a point defence fighter for the defence of airfields and specific Vital Areas (Vas) and Vital Points (VPs).
Perhaps the most audacious move by the IAF in the late 1970s, after the induction of the MiG-21 Bis, was to convert its large T-77 fleet into a much-needed Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) Role. Frustrated at its inability to hasten the case for an AJT with the government and staring at a situation that demanded some lead-in fighter training for young pilots before they joined their first operational squadron, the IAF was left with little choice but to set up MiG Operational Flying Training (MOFT) squadrons. At its peak, over five such squadrons operated out of the bases of Tezpur, Chabua, and Bagdogra in Eastern Air Command, churning out rookie fighter pilots for the large inventory of MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, MiG-29, and the newly commissioned SU-30 squadrons.
Unsuited for the training role because of its high take-off and landing speeds, low cockpit visibility, tricky manoeuvrability at high angles of attack, and limited endurance, the IAF was compelled to fall back on the MiG-21 despite several problems. Among these were the increasing number of crashes, erratic availability of the R-11 engine in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s disintegration, along with persistent flak from the media, which questioned the wisdom of continuing to fly the MiG-21 Type 77 well into the early 2000s. Following the induction of the Hawk Advanced Jet trainers in 2008, the curtains were drawn on the MOFT role of the MiG-21.
Notwithstanding the criticism enveloping the extended life of the various variants of the MiG-21 and its growing vulnerability to technical defects and crashes in an era of social media scrutiny, the IAF has rightly decided to retire the ‘evergreen’ aeroplane that has been piloted by four generations of fighter pilots in the IAF.
By the mid-1990s, with the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) nowhere in sight and a serious shortage of fourth-generation fighters in service, the IAF took a major leap of faith by embarking on an upgradation plan for its existing fleet of about 125 MiG-21 Bis. The MiG-21 Bison was inducted into the IAF in 2001 via an innovative route that involved the participation of Russia, France, and Israel. Equipped with an electronic architecture or a bus bar that supported NATO-standard equipment, it had a modest glass cockpit with one multifunction display, a French inertial navigation system, a powerful Russian radar called the Kopyo, an ELTA Israeli Electronic Warfare suite, an Indian Radar Warning Receiver called the Tarang, and a weapons suite that included the R-73 and R-77 missiles, the KH-31 air-to-surface weapon, an internal gun and all varieties of Russian bombs, and the KAB-500 guided bomb for precision attacks.
The Bison rapidly demonstrated its combat prowess during the Cope India exercise in Gwalior, where IAF fighters were pitted against the United States Air Force (USAF) platforms such as the F-15. Drawing praise from the Americans for its surprisingly good combat performance in a dense electromagnetic environment, the Bison remained a flag-bearer for its endurance as it held its own in an IAF inventory dominated by advanced jets such as the MiG-29, Mirage-2000, and Su-30. Keeping with the IAF’s innovative streak, the Bison was effectively used in complex air defence missions in the ‘buddy’ role alongside aircraft such as the MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI. Emulating its predecessors, the Bison too had an extended life of over two decades as the IAF struggled to make up for its declining numbers. Furthermore, the delayed delivery schedule of the Tejas MKI and a lack of clarity on the IAF’s projected requirements for 114 additional Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) further complicated matters.
Notwithstanding the criticism enveloping the extended life of the various variants of the MiG-21 and its growing vulnerability to technical defects and crashes in an era of social media scrutiny, the IAF has rightly decided to retire the ‘evergreen’ aeroplane that has been piloted by four generations of fighter pilots in the IAF.
Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Arjun Subramaniam (Retd) is a former IAF fighter pilot, military historian, and air power analyst. He is a Visiting Professor at Ashoka and Jindal Universities and the author of India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947–1971.
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Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Arjun Subramaniam (Retd) is a fighter pilot from the Indian Air Force, a military historian, air power analyst, and strategic commentator. ...
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