Indian Air Force’s storied MiG-21 fighter, a key aerial asset that defined country's defence prowess, has said its final goodbyes.
The aircraft was retired with full honours at the Chandigarh airbase on September 26 with a symbolic last sortie by Air Chief Marshal A P Singh. The fighter jet, first commissioned into the service in 1963, had become powerful asset in India’s defence arsenal.
Recalling its contributions over the years, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “For decades, the MiG-21 has witnessed countless acts of heroism. Its contribution spans multiple conflicts and operations. From the 1971 war to the Kargil conflict, and from the Balakot airstrike to Operation Sindoor, there has never been a moment when the MiG-21 did not provide immense strength to our armed forces.”
But, there was a key condition that turned the tables in favour of the Russian fighter jets in the early 1960s, which ultimately gave a massive push to the country’s defence manufacturing journey.
The key condition
In the early 1960s, tensions with Pakistan and China were running high and New Delhi sought a supersonic fighter jet that could deliver a powerful message to its neighbours.
The Jawaharlal Nehru-led government were under immense pressure as the US offered its F-104 fighter jets to Islamabad. This forced the government to act quickly to and get a fighter jet of its own.
India had three or four major options in front: Russia’s MiG-21, America’s F-104 Starfighter and France’s Mirage.
What tipped the balance in Russia’s favour was the offer of full technology transfer that allowed India to manufacture the jets itself.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “It was the Soviet acceptance of India's conditions for local manufacture by HAL and technology transfer that had influenced the choice of the Soviet aircraft over its competitors.”
Withstanding Pressure
The Congress communications-in charge further credited India’s first prime minister and former defence minister VK Krishna Menon for withstanding “intense pressure” from both the US and the UK. “…both Nehru and Menon held firm,” Ramesh said.
He further revealed that K. Subrahmanyam, known as India’s foremost strategic affairs guru and the father of foreign minister S Jaishankar, wrote that Menon had “virtually forced” MiG-21 on IAF. However, in hind sight, Subrahmanyam agreed that Menon “was right in doing so”.
A deal that stitched a crucial partnership
This fighter jet deal was one of the first mega defence agreements between the two nations that forged a relationship, which has stood strong for several decades now. The two countries have since then clinched countless defence deals worth billions of dollars, including that of Sukhoi-30MKI, S-400 missile defence system, AK-203 assault rifles, T-90 tanks among others.
Key facts about MiG-21
-The first set if 6 fighter jets were first inducted into the service in 1963. The jets were assembled in India with assistance from Soviet engineers.
-First Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd facility was established in Nashik in 1964 and the first jet was delivered to the air force in 1970.
-Since then, over 650 jets were manufactured by HAL in India for IAF
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