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News India Live, Digital Desk: MIG-21: There are only a few names in the history of the Indian Air Force which has left as deep as MiG-21. This fighter jet, which is guarding our sky for decades, is now retiring slowly. It was an aircraft that won us in many wars, rescued the sixes of enemies, but at the same time it was also called painful names like ‘Flying Coffin’ i.e. ‘Udta Coffin’ because it killed many pilots. Let us know why this has been such a special as well as such a controversial ‘Jangi horse’ for us.
Identification of great heritage and valor:
The MiG-21 was a very agile and powerful aircraft from the Soviet Union (today’s Russia), which was made its glory by the Indian Air Force in 1963. In the initial stages it was brought as a “interceptor”, that is, to stop the enemies’ aircraft in the air. Its speed was very fast and it was amazing in the air fight.
First of all, it showed its true strength in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. It made many fighter jets of Pakistan dust and our pilots made their bravery iron due to this. Be it Kargil War or Balakot Aermarkot-21, MiG-21 told the enemies of India many times. Its capacity was that the Indian Air Force trusted it a lot and kept it in service for years. It was so strong that India took a license and started making it in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) itself.
Then why ‘flying coffin’? Long list of painful accidents:
The biggest painful aspect with MiG-21 is its number of accidents. It has been the most crashed Indian fighter aircraft. Statistics show that hundreds of MiG-21 aircraft have crashed, in which many brave pilots lost their lives. These accidents were sometimes due to its aging texture, sometimes due to poor maintenance, sometimes due to old technology. This is the reason why it came to be called “Flying Coffin” and the demand for retirement started gaining momentum. Losing so many brave pilots has been a big loss for the country.
Modernization and final farewell:
Although India tried to modernize the MiG-21 from time to time, such as a change in the ‘MiG-21 Bison’ version, its old original texture continued to create challenges somewhere. Now that we have modern fighter jets like Rafael, Sukhoi-30 MKI and Tejas, the need for MiG-21 has reduced. So now it is being gradually being removed from service and soon it will leave our sky forever.
MiG-21 has not just a fighter jet, but has been a symbol of the pride, courage and sacrifice of the Indian Air Force. An era is ending with its retirement, but its stories will always remain in our memories.
