India will decommission its final MiG-21 fighter jets on September 19 at Chandigarh airbase, ending 62 years of service plagued by catastrophic safety failures. Dubbed "flying coffins" and "widow makers," these aircraft were involved in over 400 crashes, killing approximately 200 pilots since the 1970s. The jets’ operational lifespan was extended repeatedly due to India’s failure to modernize its air force, exposing systemic incompetence in defense planning and pilot safety.
The planned "grand send-off" for the 23 Squadron ("Panthers") starkly contrasts with the aircraft’s grim history. While India celebrates the MiG-21’s role in the 1971 war and the failed Operation Sindoor, it ignores the preventable casualties of pilots like Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (captured after a 2019 crash) and three villagers killed in a 2023 Hanumangarh crash. Aviation experts condemn the ceremony as a "tone-deaf spectacle" that whitewashes institutional apathy toward personnel.
Retiring the MiG-21 reduces India’s fighter squadrons to 29, the lowest since the 1960s and far below the sanctioned 42.5 squadrons needed for a two-front war with Pakistan and China. This decline stems from decades of procurement delays, corruption scandals, and the botched development of the Tejas Mk1A. With only 31 MiG-21s operational, India’s air defenses are critically vulnerable, yet Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) won’t deliver all 180 Tejas replacements until 2029 .
The MiG-21’s extended service underscores India’s failed self-reliance rhetoric. HAL’s inability to produce Tejas jets on time, coupled with cost overruns of ₹67,000 crore ($8.1B) for 97 Mk1As forced the air force to keep flying obsolete deathtraps. Even upgraded "Bison" variants, used in the unsuccessful Operation Sindoor, were unfit for modern combat, frequently grounded by technical snags.
The MiG-21 epitomizes India’s broken military-industrial complex. Despite 600+ jets domestically built by HAL, poor maintenance and aging parts caused 40% of IAF crashes since 2000. Former pilots reveal training shortcuts to conserve aircraft, calling the fleet a "stopgap for leadership failures." As Pakistan and China deploy 5th-generation stealth fighters, India’s air force regresses to 1960s-level strength.