New DelhiOne hour ago
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There are three squadrons of MiG-21 in the Air Force. A squadron consists of 16 to 18 aircraft.
The Indian Air Force has grounded the entire fleet of MiG-21 fighter aircraft. It has been decided to keep all the aircraft grounded till the completion of the investigation of the MiG-21 that crashed in Rajasthan on 8th May. 3 women were killed in MiG-21 fighter jet crash in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
Airforce officials said on Saturday that the MiG aircraft would not fly until the cause of the accident was ascertained. At present there are 3 squadrons of MiG-21 in the Air Force. Each squadron consists of 16 to 18 aircraft. Accordingly, about 50 MiG-21s are in service. He is to retire by 2025. The Indian Airforce has a total of 31 combat squadrons.
The MiG-21 was made in the Soviet Union. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1963.
Risk of grounding all MiG 21s, IAF in dilemma
The Indian Air Force believes that if there is a war with China or Pakistan, then we may have to face the common air force of these two countries. In view of this threat, it has been decided to have 42 squadrons of fighter jets in our Air Force. We have about 18 aircraft in one squadron.
However, due to frequent MiG 21 crashes and failure to buy new aircraft, today our Air Force is operating from 32 squadrons instead of 42. Of these, there are 3 squadrons of MiG-21 alone. These are the squadrons whose flying has been banned. This has suddenly upset the balance of power of the Air Force.
According to defense experts, the Western Command of the Chinese Army has about 200 fighter aircraft. At the same time, the Pakistani Air Force has about 350 aircraft. In such a situation, if there is a war with China or Pakistan, then our Air Force will be short of 125 to 150 aircraft. MiG-21 is also the most patrol aircraft in our Air Force. That is, the flying hours of these aircraft are also more than the rest of the country’s aircraft. The sudden stoppage of their flight will also affect the normal patrolling and preparation of the Air Force.
Mig-21 is a single engine supersonic fighter
MiG-21 is a single engine and single seat multi role fighter aircraft. It was inducted into the Indian Airforce in 1963 as an interceptor aircraft. It was upgraded with attack features over the next few years.
MIG-21 crashed 7 times in 16 months
- 5 January 2021: MiG crashed in Suratgarh, Rajasthan. In this accident, the pilot was able to eject safely.
- 17 March 2021: A MiG-21 Bison plane crashed near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. IAF Group Captain was killed in this accident.
- 20 May 2021: Another MiG-21 crash happened in Moga, Punjab. The pilot had lost his life in this accident.
- 25 August 2021: MiG-21 once again fell victim to an accident in Barmer, Rajasthan. The pilot was successful in saving himself in this plane crash.
- 25 December 2021: MiG-21 Bison crashed in Rajasthan itself. The pilot had lost his life in this accident.
- 28 July 2022: MiG-21 aircraft crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan. Two pilots lost their lives in this incident.
- 8 May 2023: MiG-21 aircraft crashed in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. Pilot safe.
infamous as flying coffin and widow maker
The MiG-21 has a poor safety record, so the Indian Air Force is replacing it with more capable aircraft such as the SU-30 and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Due to the delay in this, MiG has made its place in the Air Force till now. Since 1963, the Indian Air Force has received 872 MiG fighter planes of various categories.
Of these, about 500 fighter jets have crashed. More than 200 pilots and 56 common people lost their lives in these accidents. Due to the large number of accidents, the MiG-21 is also infamous by the names of flying coffin and widow maker.
India is the largest operator of MiG-21 after Russia and China.
India is the third largest operator of the MiG-21 after Russia and China. In 1964, this aircraft was inducted into the Airforce as the first supersonic fighter jet. The initial jets were made in Russia and then India acquired the rights and technology to assemble this aircraft.
Since then, the MiG-21 has played an important role on many occasions including the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the Kargil war of 1999. Russia stopped manufacturing this aircraft in 1985, but India continued to use its upgraded variant.
Also read these news related to the accident of the military plane…
1. MiG-21 crash of Air Force in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, fighter jet fell at home
A MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in Hanumangarh on May 8 at around quarter to ten in the morning. The fighter jet fell on a house in Bahalol Nagar area. 3 women living in this house died. Police said that the pilot is safe. After the accident, a large number of villagers gathered at the spot. Read full news…
2. Army and Navy stop the operations of Dhruv helicopter
Craftsman Pabballa Anil was killed in the ALH Dhruv chopper crash on May 4 in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir.
On May 6, the Army suspended the operations of the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv for a month. On May 4, a Dhruv helicopter crashed in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, in which a soldier lost his life. In view of this, the Army decided to stop the operations of all its 191 Dhruv helicopters. Read full news…