Over sixty-two years of service to the nation and India will bid farewell to the iconic fighter jet — MiG-21 — also known as the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s combat fleet. No. 23 Sqn "Panthers" was the last squadron operating the legendary fighter. On September 26, the legend MiG-21 flies into the annals of the history of the IAF.
On Wednesday, the MiG-21 made its final flight during the last rehearsal, marking the end of its service at Air Force Station Chandigarh. The decommissioning ceremony will be held at the Chandigarh Air Force Station.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will be among those present on the occasion here on Friday.
The official culmination of MiG-21 operations is set for Friday with a ceremonial flypast and decommissioning event in Chandigarh, where the iconic fighter jet was first inducted in 1963, marking the closure of a historic chapter in India's air power.
The MiG-21 fighter jets used to be the mainstay of the IAF for a long period of time. After its first induction, the IAF procured over 870 MiG-21s to boost its overall combat prowess. The fighter jets were the dominant platforms during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.
The aircraft also played a key role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.
Earlier, the IAF's MiG-21 fighter jets made their last operational flights at the Nal Air Force Station in Rajasthan's Bikaner, a month ahead of the formal retirement ceremony slated here on Friday.
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