Decommissioning ceremony of legendary MiG-21 fighter jets underway in Chandigarh

Chandigarh | A ceremony for the culmination of operations of Russian-origin MiG-21, whose induction in the early 1960s catapulted the force into the jet age, was underway at the Chandigarh Air Force Station here on Friday.

Six decades after they were inducted into the force, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) workhorse are being accorded a farewell at a mega event here.

The iconic aircraft was first inducted into the force here more than six decades ago. The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to number 23 Squadron, nicknamed "Panthers" are being given a farewell at the decommissioning ceremony at the Chandigarh Air Force station.

Air Chief Marshal A P Singh will fly the last sortie of the Squadron with the call sign 'Badal 3'.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was present on the occasion here besides former IAF chiefs S P Tyagi and B S Dhanoa. IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was also present.

There will be a spectacular display by IAF's elite skydiving team 'Akash Ganga', who will skydive from a height of 8,000 feet. This will be succeeded by majestic flypast of MiG-21 aircraft accompanied by precision of the air warrior drill team and an aerial salute.

The fighter pilots will be flying MiG-21s in the three-aircraft Badal formation and the four-aircraft Panther formation will thunder over the skies one final time.

The Surya Kiran aerobatic team will also enthral the audience with their breathtaking maneuvers.

In a recent post on X, about the retiring Mig-21s, the IAF said, "Six decades of service, countless tales of courage, a warhorse that carried pride of a nation into the skies".

The MiG-21 fighter jets used to be the mainstay of the IAF for a long period of time. After its first induction, the IAF procured over 870 MiG-21s to boost its overall combat prowess.

The supersonic jets were the dominant platforms during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

The aircraft also played a key role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as 2019 Balakot airstrikes.

However, the IAF's workhorse the MiG-21s were also involved in multiple crashes in the last six decades, with spotlight many times being on the safety record of the ageing fleet of Soviet-origin aircraft.