India’s retired MiG-21 fleet faces varied afterlife after final service sortie

The Indian Air Force is assigning different post-service roles to its retired MiG-21 aircraft, with some being preserved for heritage flying, others placed on display and usable components salvaged for future purposes. The MiG-21 completed its final sortie from Chandigarh Air Base a year before the report. The aircraft had served in the Indian Air Force for more than six decades, but retirement does not mean every airframe will meet the same fate.

A senior IAF official told India Today Digital that one or two aircraft would be available for a heritage flight. These aircraft would be maintained for display flying rather than combat operations, alongside vintage aircraft such as the Tiger Moth, Harvard and Dakota. Other MiG-21s are expected to become museum or static display pieces at prominent locations, after the required process is completed.

The source said such displays could include defence establishments, cantonments and public sites. Another senior officer said components that remained usable would be saved, while other material would be disposed of. Some recovered material could be made available to engineering colleges for training, the officer added.

The IAF has not officially confirmed whether some aircraft will ultimately be scrapped. India Today reported that decommissioned military aircraft may be disposed of through prescribed procedures once they reach the end of their technical or calendar life. At least one older MiG-21 airframe has already been sold to a private establishment.

It stands outside a dhaba on the Rohtak-Delhi highway in Haryana, with its engine removed. The airframe was reportedly bought at an auction in Pathankot, Punjab. The MiG-21 was once a major part of India’s combat fleet.

At its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, it accounted for nearly 60% of the IAF’s combat aircraft, according to the Ministry of Defence. However, its long service was accompanied by a heavy accident toll. Former defence minister A.K.

Antony said 482 of 872 inducted aircraft had crashed, killing more than 170 fighter pilots. The final aircraft therefore leaves service as both a symbol of the IAF’s history and a reminder of the risks of extending an ageing fleet’s operational life.