Team News Riveting
Chandigarh, September 26
The Indian Air Force (IAF) held a decommissioning ceremony at Chandigarh Air Force Station on Friday, marking the end of the legendary Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter jets’ 62-year service.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the event. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh piloted the final operational sortie in a MiG-21 Bison, while Squadron Leader Priya Sharma executed the ‘fly into sunset’ maneuver, accompanied by a flypast and aerobatic displays.
Inducted in 1963, the jet played key roles in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, the 1999 Kargil conflict, and the 2019 Balakot operation, before transitioning to the indigenous Tejas LCA Mk1A starting in 2028.
Describing the MiG-21 as a mighty machine and a national pride, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said there was a deep attachment to the aircraft that shaped the country’s confidence. He was speaking at the decommissioning event in Chandigarh, where it was first inducted.
“MiG-21 is not only an aircraft or machine but also proof of deep India-Russia ties,” the minister said. “The history of military aviation is incredible. The MiG 21 added many proud moments in our military aviation journey,” Singh told the gathering.
Former IAF chiefs A Y Tipnis, S P Tyagi and B S Dhanoa, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first man on the International Space Station, besides scores of veterans, many who had piloted the aircraft, were present on the occasion.
Dilbagh Singh, who became the IAF chief in 1981, led the first MiG-21 Squadron here in 1963.
The ceremony began with the arrival of the Defence Minister, the chief guest at the occasion, followed by a spectacular display by IAF’s elite skydiving team ‘Akash Ganga’, which skydived from a height of 8,000 feet. It was followed by a majestic flypast of the MiG-21 aircraft accompanied by precision of the air warrior drill team and an aerial salute.
The fighter pilots flew MiG-21s in the three-aircraft Badal formation and the four-aircraft Panther formation roared over the skies one final time.
The MiG-21 jets made their last operational flights at the Nal Air Force Station in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, a month ahead of the formal retirement ceremony. As part of the symbolic farewell, Air Chief Marshal Singh had also flown solo sorties of the MiG-21 from Nal on August 18-19.
