NEW DELHI: After six decades of service, the Indian Air Force’s iconic MiG-21 fighter jets will officially bow out on September 26, closing a defining chapter in India’s air power. The last remaining MiG-21s, flown by No. 23 Squadron “Panthers,” will be formally retired at a decommissioning ceremony and ceremonial flypast at the Chandigarh Air Force Station — the very base where the aircraft was first inducted in 1963. A full-dress rehearsal was held on Wednesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi are expected to attend Friday’s event. The MiG-21, a Russian-origin fighter, was once the backbone of the IAF’s combat fleet. More than 870 were inducted over the decades, dominating the skies during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, playing a crucial role in the 1999 Kargil conflict and participating in the 2019 Balakot airstrikes. Last month, the MiG-21s made their final operational flights from Rajasthan’s Nal Air Force Station ahead of this week’s farewell, which marks the end of an era for India’s most storied fighter jet.
