He retired. After more than 60 years of service and a heavy evaluation of 400 accidents that claimed life in 171 pilots, the last MIG-21 hunters, sometimes nicknamed “flying coffins,” they last robbed last Friday under Indian colors.
This ceremony took place at the Chandigarh Air Base in northern India, where the first copies of the plane had been delivered.
A large crowd says goodbye to 36 MIG-21, which dates from the Soviet era and is still in service, the day after the firm of New Delhi of a request of $ 7 billion for 97 combat aircraft tiles, designed and manufactured locally.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, senior air force officials, as well as former MIG-21 pilots, attended the air show.
In the absence of modern devices, the Indian army, which initially planned to withdraw the MIG-21 of the mid-1990s, extended its useful life.
In total, 874 copies of this Russian combat plane have been delivered to India since the 1960s.
Attempts to produce the national production of combat aircraft have failed for a long time, while purchasing contracts abroad slowed down the heavy bureaucracy and the suspicion of corruption.
MIG-21 have formed for decades the backbone of the Indian Air Force, but their poor balance in terms of security has earned them the nickname of “flying coffins.”
“He played all possible roles over the years,” Minister Rajnath Singh said Friday. “It made us proud in each historical mission. Therefore, it is also a farewell to our collective memories,” he added.
Technical failures but long shelf life
“Motor failures, hydraulic failures and electrical problems were frequent, without a reliable rescue system,” said Rajnat Singh, “emergency landings and ejections have become common.”
There have been around 400 accidents of MIG, in more than six decades, which cost 200 pilots in India.
“If this plane were a human being, I am sure they would transfer him at this time,” Jaideep Singh, spokesman for the Indian Air Force, told AFP.
Priority to rear
The fifth world economy and one of the world’s largest weapons importers, India has made the modernization of its army a priority, multiplying efforts to stimulate the production of local weapons.
Nueva Delhi feels threatened by several countries, including neighbor Pakistan. In May, the two nuclear powers faced militarily for four days. The two camps claimed the victory, each claiming to have demolished several combat planes of their opponent.
In April, India signed an agreement with France to acquire 26 Ráfaga combat planes, produced by the Dassault Aviation Group, which are added to a first order of 36 planes.
Last month, New Delhi announced that India was going to develop and produce combat planes locally in association with a French company, whose name was not revealed.
Angad Singh, co-author of the book that will be published “Icon of Heaven: History of Mig-21 in India”, believes that the country is in a “non-inventable position” due to its current shortage of combat planes.
To deal with this problem, the government actively supports the manufacture of an improved version of the tiles and discussions with France are being carried out for the acquisition of additional 114 rafale, it emphasizes.
This order is expected for a long time, but it has not yet been confirmed. Dassault Aviation Éric Trappier said he said he trusted the outcome of the negotiations.
Source: BFM TV
