The MiG-21 Bison aircraft, which is set to retire by 2025, met another accident on Thursday as two pilots were killed during a training sortie in Rajasthan’s Barmer.
The visuals from the MiG-21 crash site showed the wreckage in flames, scattered in the area. “A twin seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF was airborne for a training sortie from Utarlai air base in Rajasthan this evening. Around 9:10 pm, the aircraft met with an accident near Barmer. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries,” the Air Force said in a statement.
However, the Indian Air Force is set to retire one more squadron of the jet by September 30 and phase out the remaining fleet in the next three years. The recent crash has highlighted safety concerns and force authorities to step up induction of Tejas aircraft.
Backbone of IAF Fleet
The MiG-21 is a Soviet-era single-engine multirole fighter and ground attack aircraft and once formed the backbone of the IAF fleet. Currently, the IAF has around 70 MiG-21 aircraft and 50 MiG-29 variants.
The aircraft has a poor safety record and is expected to be withdrawn from service within the next decade by which time it will be replaced with more modern types.
The aircraft has been the backbone for a long time and has been famous for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial attack on February 27, 2019.
Longest Serving Fighter Jets
MiG-21 has been designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau of the then Soviet Union and India’s longest-serving fighter plane. India got its first MiG-21 in 1963 and to bolster the combat potential of the country, 874 variants of the supersonic fighters were inducted.
The MiG-21 Bison, an upgraded version of the MiG-21bis, had been first inducted into service in 1976. According to several reports, the MiG-21 had completed its retirement period in the mid-1990s.
Flying Coffin
Several MiG-21s have crashed in the recent past with the accidents turning the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane, its safety record and the plans to replace the ageing jets.
Six MiG-21 jets have been lost in recent crashes in the last 20 months, killing five pilots. The aircraft was supposed to retire long time ago, however, there were delays in the induction of the LCA Tejas aircraft.
Moreover, in the last six decades, more than 400 MiG-21s have been involved in accidents, claiming the lives of around 200 pilots.
Due to the high rate of accidents, the aircraft earned the nickname of ‘Flying Coffin’.
According to officials, the Indian Air Force carries out extensive checks on planes before they fly and safety aspects are taken care before the take off.
The IAF is in the process to induct different variants of Tejas light combat aircraft and Su-30 to replace the MiG-21.
Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment