After 62 years of service, the Indian Air Force is finally retiring its MiG-21 fighter jets, which have been the country's main combat aircraft for decades. On Friday, September 26, the last MiG-21s from the Indian Air Force's 23rd Squadron completed their service after a solemn ceremony.
This happened after numerous delays and with virtually no replacement, as India cannot obtain U.S. engines for its Tejas fighters. Such engines are not expected until 2028.
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On the one hand, the solemn farewell to the MiG-21s in India reflects the fighter’s remarkable 62 years in service, during which it fought in two wars with Pakistan and several border conflicts. On the other hand, it objectively earned reputation of a veritable "flying coffin."
In total, India acquired about 850 MiG-21s, nearly 600 of which were built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Around 450 were ultimately lost in accidents and crashes.
The exact figures for production and losses vary depending on the source. However, 874 MiG-21s were ultimately produced, including 657 built independently. As for losses, by 2010, 482 MiG-21s had been lost since entering service, with at least 29 more lost since then.
In total, the fleet lost 511 aircraft. This means that a MiG-21 crashed in India roughly every six weeks. This explains why the Indian Air Force never had more than 400 of these aircraft in service simultaneously.
Considering that 847 MiG-21s were produced for the Indian Air Force and 511 were lost, this represents a loss rate of 60.33%. Human casualties are estimated at about 170 pilots and 40 civilians on the ground.
For comparison, we can cite data on the well-known American F-104, which gained notoriety in more than 10 countries, including Pakistan (which led to actual combat between MiG-21s and F-104s).
In total, of the 2,578 aircraft built, over 1,170 were lost in accidents and crashes, representing 45.38% of the fleet. A total of about 400 people, both pilots and civilians, died in these accidents.
Overall, India's MiG-21s were both more prone to accidents and more deadly than the F-104 globally. Each F-104 crash proved fatal in 34% of cases, while the figure for the MiG-21 was 41%.
The extent to which Indian statistics apply to other MiG-21 operators remains a matter of debate. However, approximately 14,000 MiG-21s were produced, including Chinese copies.
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