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IAF to Retire MiG-21 on Sept. 26 in Chandigarh as Air Chief Flies Final Sortie

A ceremonial flypast with mixed formations will spotlight the handover to the Tejas program.

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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 on Sept. 24 featured Suryakiran aerobatics, Akash Ganga skydiving and a simulated Jaguar strike.
  • Air Chief Marshal A P Singh will pilot a MiG-21 Bison with the call sign Badal 3, with Squadron Leader Priya Sharma among the six pilots.
  • Six aircraft from No. 23 Squadron (Panthers) will fly Badal and Panther formations, including a handover flypast flanked by Tejas fighters.
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the CDS, service chiefs and six former IAF chiefs are slated to attend, with a water‑cannon salute and a commemorative postal stamp planned.
  • Inducted in 1963 with more than 800 aircraft procured and many license-built, the MiG-21 saw major combat and over 400 crashes with around 200 pilot deaths, following final operational sorties at Nal in August.