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IAF to Retire MiG-21 on Sept. 26 as Air Chief Leads Final Sortie

The event marks a generational shift to Tejas Mk‑1A as the IAF reshapes its fighter fleet.

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Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh and Squadron Leader Priya Sharma will fly Mig-21 fighters at the decommissioning ceremony of the jet at Chandigarh. (IAF)

Overview

  • A full dress rehearsal in Chandigarh confirmed Friday’s decommissioning program, with the final ceremony at the base where the first MiG‑21 squadron was raised in 1963.
  • Air Chief Marshal A P Singh will fly the last MiG‑21 Bison sortie with the call sign Badal 3, leading No. 23 Squadron’s farewell flypast.
  • Squadron Leader Priya Sharma will be among six pilots participating, reflecting the personnel spotlight planned for the send‑off.
  • The flypast will feature a three‑jet Badal formation and a five‑ship Panther formation, with MiG‑21s flanked by Tejas LCA Mk‑1 and a simulated Jaguar base strike, plus Surya Kiran and Akash Ganga displays and a water cannon salute.
  • Across six decades the IAF inducted about 874 MiG‑21s and employed them in conflicts from 1965 to 2019, even as a long accident record shadowed the type, and reports say squadron strength will dip to around 29 as Tejas gradually replaces it.