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India’s first supersonic jet bowed out on Friday with full honours, marking the end of a 62-year run that shaped India’s most decisive air battles
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh aboard a MiG-21 aircraft lands after flying a sortie, at the Nal Air Force Station, in Bikaner district, Rajasthan, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)
On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded India’s first supersonic jet, MiG-21’s glorious service to the Indian Armed Forces, recalling its historic and successful missions.
At the decommissioning ceremony, Singh summed up why the MiG-21 remains etched in India’s collective memory: “The MiG-21 has long stood witness to numerous acts of bravery. Its contribution is not confined to a single event or war. From the 1971 war to the Kargil conflict, and from the Balakot airstrike to Operation Sindoor, there has not been a single moment when the MiG-21 did not provide tremendous strength to our armed forces.”
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Across 62 years in service, the jet fought Pakistan in multiple wars, flew reconnaissance over enemy terrain, and stood on frontline readiness in every major security crisis. Its record is not of a flawless machine, but of a fighter that altered the outcome of conflicts and became a symbol of Indian resolve.
1965: The First Taste Of Combat
When the MiG-21 first went to war in 1965, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had a single squadron still building up. Though it didn’t score confirmed kills, it performed air defence missions and combat patrols against Pakistan’s US-supplied F-86 Sabres and F-104 Starfighters.
These early deployments gave the IAF valuable experience, showing the MiG’s speed advantage and highlighting the need for greater firepower.
1971: The Dhaka Strike That Decided A War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was the MiG-21’s moment of glory. On December 14, 1971, four MiG-21s took off from Guwahati after intelligence indicated a top-level meeting at the Governor’s House in Dhaka. At 12:55 pm, they unleashed rockets with pinpoint accuracy, causing damage to the building.
Governor A M Malik and his cabinet resigned to the United Nations hours later, leaving Lt Gen A A K Niazi to face India’s advancing forces alone. Two days later, he surrendered with 93,000 troops, the largest military surrender since World War II.
The Dhaka strike wasn’t the MiG-21’s only contribution. The jets also carried out daring steep-glide bombing runs on Tezgaon airfield, cratering its runway and rendering Pakistan’s Eastern air hub useless. They dominated supersonic dogfights, downing Pakistan’s F-104s, once considered its most advanced fighters.
It was this mission Rajnath Singh recalled as the day “the course of the war was effectively set.”
1980s: Sri Lanka And Skardu Reconnaissance
The 1980s brought less dramatic but strategically important roles. During India’s peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka, MiG-21s flew limited sorties for air cover and reconnaissance, ensuring safe movement for Indian troops on the ground.
In 1985, a MiG-21R from No. 35 Squadron executed one of its most daring reconnaissance flights. Equipped with a Vinten panoramic camera pod, it penetrated deep into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at low altitude, photographing the Skardu airbase. The mission, flown just a few hundred feet above the Shyok valley to evade radar, captured images of the newly laid runway and logistics facilities, providing India with critical intelligence during Operation Meghdoot.
1999 Kargil War: Holding The Heights
When Pakistani intrusions were discovered on Himalayan peaks in 1999, MiG-21s were among the first aircraft scrambled.
As per India Today, they conducted over 570 strike missions and 460 air defence patrols from bases like Srinagar and Avantipur. Pilots had to rely on improvised hand-held GPS devices and map-reading to fly accurate bomb runs through narrow valleys.
August 1999: The Atlantique Incident
On 10 August 1999, shortly after the Kargil War ended, a Pakistani Navy Atlantique aircraft was shot down by a MiG‑21 Bison over the Rann of Kutch.
According to The Tribune, ground radar at Naliya airbase detected the aircraft intruding into Indian airspace, and two MiG‑21s from No. 45 Squadron were scrambled. After ignoring warnings and turning aggressively, Sqn Ldr R.K. Bundela fired an R‑60 missile from 3 km away, striking the port engine. The Atlantique crashed near Talhar, killing all 16 crew.
The shootdown was seen as a strong post‑Kargil message. Bundela and his ground controller, Wg Cdr V.S. Sharma, were later awarded the Vayu Sena Medal.
2019: Balakot Fallout
On February 26, 2019, Indian Mirage-2000s struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The next day, Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes across the LoC.
Two MiG-21 Bisons scrambled from an operational base to intercept the incoming aircraft. According to The Tribune, Group Captain (then Wing Commander) Abhinandan Varthaman fired an R-73 missile at a Pakistani F‑16, which was reportedly hit. Pakistan has consistently denied this, and a US inventory check later also reported no missing F-16s. India, however, released radar evidence to back its claim.
Abhinandan’s own MiG-21 was hit in the engagement, forcing him to eject across the LoC. Captured and later released after three days, his calm conduct and iconic moustache turned him into a national hero. The incident gave the MiG-21 one of its most remarkable distinctions: a nearly six-decade-old aircraft downing a fourth-generation F-16 in combat.
From Dhaka To Balakot: A Fighter in India’s Story
Over six decades, the MiG-21 became a constant in India’s skies, a symbol of speed, grit and evolution.
At its farewell in Chandigarh, that legacy was honoured with a ceremonial flypast of MiG-21s, Jaguars and the Suryakiran aerobatic team, a simulated dogfight recalling Balakot, and the symbolic handover of the aircraft’s logbook to the Defence Minister.
For the Air Force, and for the generations who watched the MiG’s silhouette dominate India’s skies, this was more than retirement. It was the end of an era for India’s most enduring warrior.
About the Author
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar…Read More
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar… Read More
September 26, 2025, 15:23 IST
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