No extra flying coffins: IAF set to retire complete MiG-21 squadron by 2025
3 min readBy Online Desk
NEW DELHI: Amid current crashes involving its classic Russian fight plane fleet, the Indian Air Force (iaf) is now going to retire yet another squadron of the MiG-21 Bison plane by September 30.
On Thursday night, a MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer plane crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing each the pilots together with a teenager Flight Lieutenant A Bal and Wing Commander Rana.
“The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar air base is being number plated on September 30. After this, only three squadrons of the planes would be left in service and would be phased out by the year 2025,” sources within the IAF advised ANI.
Now yearly, one squadron every of those planes could be number-plated, they stated.
The 51 squadron is legendary for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial assault on India on February 27, 2019, and taking out an F-16 in an plane flown by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman.
This is the one occasion when a MiG-21 plane introduced down an F-16 in air-to-air fight, the sources stated.
The IAF has been changing the MiG-21 fighter jets with extra succesful plane just like the Su-30 and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
In the final 20 months, 6 MiG-21s have been misplaced in crashes through which 5 pilots have misplaced their lives.
The MiG-21s have been alleged to be retired a very long time in the past however delays in induction of the LCA Tejas plane have compelled the IAF to proceed flying these planes.
The IAF carries out intensive checks on these planes earlier than flying and all security elements are taken care of earlier than the pilot takes off, the officers stated.
The number-plated squadron could be reactivated quickly with a extra succesful plane within the close to future, the officers stated.
(With company inputs)
NEW DELHI: Amid current crashes involving its classic Russian fight plane fleet, the Indian Air Force (iaf) is now going to retire yet another squadron of the MiG-21 Bison plane by September 30.
On Thursday night, a MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer plane crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing each the pilots together with a teenager Flight Lieutenant A Bal and Wing Commander Rana.
“The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar air base is being number plated on September 30. After this, only three squadrons of the planes would be left in service and would be phased out by the year 2025,” sources within the IAF advised ANI.
Now yearly, one squadron every of those planes could be number-plated, they stated.
The 51 squadron is legendary for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial assault on India on February 27, 2019, and taking out an F-16 in an plane flown by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman.
This is the one occasion when a MiG-21 plane introduced down an F-16 in air-to-air fight, the sources stated.
The IAF has been changing the MiG-21 fighter jets with extra succesful plane just like the Su-30 and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
In the final 20 months, 6 MiG-21s have been misplaced in crashes through which 5 pilots have misplaced their lives.
The MiG-21s have been alleged to be retired a very long time in the past however delays in induction of the LCA Tejas plane have compelled the IAF to proceed flying these planes.
The IAF carries out intensive checks on these planes earlier than flying and all security elements are taken care of earlier than the pilot takes off, the officers stated.
The number-plated squadron could be reactivated quickly with a extra succesful plane within the close to future, the officers stated.
(With company inputs)
