NEW DELHI: One more MiG-21 combat aircraft Squadron of the Indian Air Force on Tuesday went for the last sortie. In a ceremony at the Air Force Station Utarlai, Rajasthan the Mig-21 Bison Squadron operating at Air Force Station Utarlai was converted into the Su-30MKI fighter.
Colonel Amitabh Sharma, Defence PRO termed it the end of an era and added "The MiG-21 Bison aircraft were seen for the last time in the skies of Uttarlai in Barmer district, Rajasthan on Tuesday."
"The squadron known as "Oorials" has been operating the MiG-21 since 1966 and is now being re-equipped with the Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft. This change signifies the unwavering commitment of the Indian Air Force to modernise and protect the skies of the nation." Col Amitabh said.
The Indian Air Force under its modernisation plan is inducting Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to replace the number of MiG version of fighters which are being phased out after serving the country for more than 50 years.
"The MiG-21 Squadron has served the country for approximately six decades and has significantly contributed to the war effort during Indo-Pak conflicts," informed Defence PRO.
The first induction of Russian-origin single-engine MiG-21 fighters was done in 1963. As of date, the IAF continues to operate two squadrons of the Mig-21 Bison, one each in Bikaner and Suratgarh. These will also be phased out by 2025.
Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhary had recently said, "We will replace the MiG-21 squadrons with the LCA Mark-1A. The induction of the LCA Mark-1A will fill the gap of the outgoing MiG-21s,".
The IAF plans to induct 83 LCA Tejas Mk1A adding 97 more in future for which the clearance was given recently. The plans are afoot to begin induction of LCA Mk1A by 2024. A squadron in IAF is comprised of 16-18 aircraft.