NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force is not going to retire one more squadron of the MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30 due to previous crashes involving its fleet of vintage Russian combat aircraft. This comes after, an MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer crashed on Thursday night near Barmer, Rajasthan, killing both of the pilots.
"On September 30, the 51 Squadron, headquartered at Srinagar Air Base, will get its numbers. After this, there would only be three squadrons of the aircraft left in service, and they would be phased out by 2025 "sources reported. Now, they claimed, one squadron of each of these aircraft would receive a number plate annually.
The 51 Squadron is renowned for shooting down an F-16 in an aircraft piloted by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman on February 27, 2019, preventing Pakistan from attacking India from the air.
According to the reports, this was the only time a MiG-21 aircraft successfully engaged an F-16 in air-to-air combat. MiG-21 fighter jets have been replaced by Su-30 and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, which are more competent aircraft (LCA).
Six MiG-21s were lost in crashes over the past 20 months, each resulting in the deaths of five pilots.The LCA Tejas aircraft were scheduled to replace the MiG-21s long ago, but delays in their introduction have compelled the IAF to continue using these aircraft. Before flying, the IAF conducts thorough inspections of these aircraft, and all safety precautions are performed, according to the officers.
The officials announced that the number-plated squadron will soon be reactivated with a more capable aircraft.
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