What role did the MiG-21 jets play?
The MiG-21 was the first supersonic fighter in service of the IAF and was inducted in 1963.
More than 800 variants of the supersonic fighter have been inducted into service.
The No.4 squadron has served the country for approximately six decades and has significantly contributed to the war effort during Indo-Pak conflicts.
It was initially equipped with MiG-21 Type 75 aircraft and later converted to the upgraded MiG-21 Bison in January 2004.
The IAF now has two MiG-21 squadrons in service comprising the upgraded Bison variants.
The No. 3 squadron ‘Cobras’ at Bikaner and No. 23 squadron ‘Panthers’ at Suratgarh, which will be phased out by 2025.
MiG 21 will replace with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A.
According to the IAF website, during the 1971 War of Bangladesh, the MiG-21s showed its true grit.
On the 1999 Kargil conflict, the IAF says that night operations were carried out using ingenuity and imagination.
In the course of six decades, the MiG-21 fleet saw over 400 accidents claiming the lives of around 200 pilots.
The IAF was to phase out the MiG-21s much earlier but it was extended as newer inductions especially the LCA Tejas were delayed.
What about the MiG replacement?
The IAF has inducted two squadrons of the LCA Tejas and two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets..
In January 2021, the IAF signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 83 LCA Mk1A which it will start receiving from early 2024 onwards.
A larger LCA-Mk2 as well as the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) are under development.
As they take time to be available in large numbers, it is the LCA-Mk1A which will form the bulk of the force.
Last month, ACM Chaudhari had said that they are looking to procure an additional 97 LCA-Mk1A at an estimated cost of ₹67,000 lakh crore, making a total of 180 Mk1A variants.
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