The sun sets on the Soviet Soviet hunting jet from India

The first time that he strangled the MIG-21 at full power, up 20 km above the earth twice the speed of the sound, the young fighter pilot felt completely in weightlessness, as if the sky itself had left it.

“At Mach 2, you can feel lightness in the stomach. The turns of the MIG -21 at this speed are large – the banks can clearly transport you for several kilometers before finishing a full arch,” recalls Marshal Air (retired) Prithvi Singh Brar. He joined the Air Force in 1960, went to the Soviet jet in 1966 and piloted it for the next 26 years.

“I loved piloting the MIG-21 like a bird loves the sky.

After six decades of admiration – and later, the infamy – the most emblematic war plan in India is finally taking its last flight on Friday. At its peak, the MIG-21 was the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF), representing two-thirds of its fleet of hunters. He inspired a fierce loyalty among his pilots, but also acquired the nickname of the dark “Flying Coffin” after a series of deadly accidents during his twilight years.

According to official figures, between 1966 and 1980, India bought 872 MIG planes from various models.

Between 1971-1972 and April 2012, 482 MIG accidents were recorded, saying that 171 pilots, 39 civilians, eight staff members and a crew, “caused by human errors and technical defects”. There has been no official data update since then.

“The MIG-21 has a checkered inheritance. The fighter has been the pillar of the IAF for more than three decades and has occupied various roles in all the conflicts of India since the 1965 Pakistani war,” explains Rahul Bhatia, analyst at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk consulting company. “However, from the beginning of the 2000s, the fighter became better known for his high collision rate. The pilots look with emotion the MIG-21, but the plane remained in service much longer than it should have,” he added.

Designed by the Soviets and enthroned for the first time in 1963, the MIG-21 in the nose with the needle was a razor, very fast at altitude and could climb at fierce speed. At its peak, the jet stolen with more than 50 air forces – of the Soviet Union, China and India in Egypt, Iraq and Vietnam – which makes it one of the most exploited supersonic jets in history.

In India, where the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), managed by the State (HAL), began to build licenses in the mid-1960s, MIG-21 has become the cornerstone of IAF squadrons, appreciated for its versatility through several roles of combat.

Inside the MIG -21 cockpit, the pilots say that there was little comfort – just a single seat and the sky that pressed all around.

Air conditioning – Built for Russian winters – was barely adequate in burning Indian summers. At low levels, cockpits have often collapsed and pilots could lose a kilo or more body weight for a single outing, recalls Marshal Air (retired) Vinod K Bhatia.

“Most of the outings that I stole last lasts about 30 minutes, so the discomfort was bearable. In the end, however, everything was part of the game and always pleasant,” he told me.

Originally a high altitude interceptor built for speed and short-range climbs to reach the enemy over short distances, the MIG-21 was quickly adapted by the IAF for a close fight and ground attacks.

During the 1971 war with Pakistan, he had become a formidable multi-roll fighter, although in 1965 war, he was still new and mainly a interceptor. The MIG-21 also shaped the defense of India with Russia and has helped relaunch its own aerospace industry.

“We have adapted the plane to the Indian conditions in a remarkable way. Although it had design limitations and was not built for a close fight, we pushed it beyond what the Russian test pilots and manuals have taught, controlling a close-up fight flying in a truly impressive manner,” said Marshal Brar.

This adaptability came to define its role in the 1971 war. The MIG-21 carried out low level nocturnal strikes deeply in the Pakistani territory. A MIG-21 formation struck the governor’s house in Dacca, exploding rockets through its roof fans.

“Each plane transported two 500 kg bombs, and I stole three to four of these missions. Take off from Amritsar, we were Insidepakistani in the 35 -minute, struck our targets 250 km deep and resumed the Rajasthan – the shortest exit,” explains the Marshal of the Air Brar.

Each fighter plane has its quirks and the MIG -21 was no exception – fast descents and even high -speed stands were part of its character, according to Marshal Bhatia. “Master, respect him and it was a beautiful plane to fly,” he said.

For the pilots who have stolen it, the tarnished reputation of the MIG-21 in recent years is not deserved. “The media were very mean to the plane,” said one.

Defense analyst Rahul Bedi says that there is a lot of “badly placed nostalgia around the MIG-21 because she was responsible for so many deaths”. Many attribute frequent accidents to aging cells and stretched maintenance cycles.

“The biggest challenge in the MIG -21 was its engine and its high landing speed, which made the descents delicate on short tracks and has contributed to numerous accidents – often attributed to the pilot error. Fighter’s retirement attempts were repeatedly blocked by ineffectiveness and bureaucratic inertia”, explains Mr. Bedi.

The Air Force had to continue to extend the lifespan of the MIG-21 because the replacements were not available. The light combat aircraft intended to replace it was designed in 1981, stolen for the first time in 2001 and, even now decades later, only two squadrons are operational.

With its last two squadrons of the retired MIG-21, India will now have 29 hunting units against a penalty. However, for the pilots who stole it, the MIG -21 was never only a machine – it was a partner in the sky.

Marshal Air Brar estimated that leap of the first hand, piloting his last outing from the city in the north of Chandigarh just two days before his retirement in July 2000.

“I was again in the sky, like a bird that took off for the last time. When I landed and left the cockpit, I felt completely happy.”

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