On the retirement of India’s iconic MiG-21 fighter jet, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the aircraft is more than just a machine, highlighting that it stands as a symbol of the enduring partnership between India and Russia.
Singh recalled the 1971 war with Pakistan, stressing how the MiG-21 played a decisive role by striking the Governor’s House in Dhaka under challenging conditions. He said that the attack itself had outlined the outcome of the war, underlining the aircraft’s remarkable impact in shaping history.
“Who can forget the 1971 war. During the war with Pakistan, in adverse circumstances, the MiG-21 attacked the Governor’s House in Dhaka, and on that very day, it outlined the result of that war. Besides this, in its long history, there have been many such occasions when the MiG-21 proved its decisive capacity,” he said.
He added that throughout its long service, the MiG-21 repeatedly demonstrated its decisive capabilities in historic missions, bringing glory to the tricolour.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the decommissioning ceremony of the legendary MiG-21, bringing the curtains down on the needle-nosed fighter that also proved its mettle during the 1999 Kargil War.
On Friday, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, the Chief of Air Staff, flew the MiG-21 for its final sortie to the Chandigarh airbase as the fleet was officially retired after safeguarding Indian skies for 62 years. The aircraft earned glory in the 1965 and 1971 wars by shooting down several Pakistani planes and continued to serve with distinction.
The MiG-21 Bison, a Soviet-era fighter, made headlines again in 2019 when Group Captain (then Wing Commander) Abhinandan Varthaman scripted history by shooting down a Pakistan Air Force F-16, a day after the Balakot airstrike.
