The MiG-21, that redoubtable warhorse of the Indian Air Force, will be phased out of active service by September, to be replaced by the newer and nimbler Tejas Mk1A fighter jets. Photo: courtesy Wikimedia Commons
IAF's legendary MiG-21 jets to retire in Sept 2025
After six decades of service, including in major conflicts, the Russian-origin aircraft will be replaced by the more advanced and indigenously-developed LCA Tejas Mk1A jets
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) legendary MiG-21 fighter jets will be formally retired in September 2025, concluding over six decades of service that began in 1963.
Once the backbone of India's air defence, the Russian-origin aircraft played a central role in every major conflict from the 1965 war with Pakistan to the recent Operation Sindoor.
Over 870 MiG-21s were inducted into the IAF, with nearly 600 produced domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
These supersonic jets offered India a technological edge in aerial combat during the 1960s and ’70s and were later upgraded to perform multi-role duties.
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Final farewell
The last MiG-21 squadron, the 23 Squadron or "Panthers", is stationed at the Nal Air Base in Rajasthan and will be decommissioned on September 19 at a ceremonial event in Chandigarh.
The farewell will feature flypasts, static displays, and attendance by IAF veterans and senior leadership — a tribute to an aircraft that has shaped the careers of generations of fighter pilots.
In 2023, No.4 Squadron flew a final commemorative sortie over Barmer, Rajasthan, passing the baton to Sukhoi aircraft now defending the western border.
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Safety concerns
The MiG-21's final years were marred by frequent crashes, earning it the grim moniker "flying coffin".
A crash in May 2023 near Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, which killed three civilians, prompted the IAF to ground the entire fleet temporarily.
Initially set to retire by 2022, the jets remained in service due to delays in the delivery of replacement Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A jets.
HAL chairperson DK Sunil attributed the delays to missed engine supply deadlines by US-based GE Aerospace.
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Transition to Tejas
The MiG-21s will be replaced by the more advanced and indigenously-developed LCA Tejas Mk1A jets.
The IAF is set to receive at least six of these by March 2026, with a larger contract for 97 aircraft valued at ₹1.15 lakh crore expected soon.
The Tejas Mk1A will fill the vacuum left by the outgoing fleet and reduce dependence on ageing Soviet-era platforms.
In the long term, the IAF aims to induct the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), currently under development in Bengaluru.
With the MiG-21's retirement, the IAF’s combat strength will dip to 29 squadrons, its lowest since the 1960s.