Overview

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led a decommissioning ceremony at Chandigarh featuring MiG-21 Badal and Panther flypasts, Surya Kiran aerobatics, Akash Ganga skydivers, Jaguars and Tejas, and a water-cannon salute.
• Air Chief Marshal A P Singh flew the final MiG-21 Bison sortie (call sign Badal 3), while No. 23 Squadron ‘Panthers’ performed the last formation flights; Squadron Leader Priya Sharma joined the flypast.
• The last operational missions were flown from Nal Air Force Station in Bikaner in August after the chief conducted solo sorties on August 18–19.
• Inducted in 1963 as India’s first supersonic fighter, the MiG-21 served in the 1965 and 1971 wars, the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2019 Balakot operation, with over 850 aircraft inducted, many built by HAL.
• The jet’s record includes numerous accidents over decades, with Parliament data citing more than 400 crashes and at least 170 pilot fatalities up to 2012, even as its replacement plan centers on LCA Tejas variants and additional imports, with Mk1A deliveries expected to begin in October.