RPK
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MiG Fighter Aircraft Complete 50 years in India
April 21 2013 marks a momentous day for MiG fighter aircraft in India as it completes 50 years of its relationship with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Built in 1956, the worlds most common fighter aircraft emerged from the shadows in 1962 when India announced that it would be buying the newly developed Russian jets.
Designed by Artem Mikoyan, the aircraft served the Indian Air Force well with its participation in the 1965 conflict with Pakistan and again in 1971.
With the aircrafts capabilities under the scanner during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the Russian fighter aircraft played a pivotal role is providing India the upper hand over Pakistan. During the war, the IAF MiG-21s claimed four PAF F-104s, two PAF F6, one PAF North American F-86 Sabre and one PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The MiG-21s also provided the IAF with air superiority over vital points and areas in the western theater of the conflict.By the end of the 1971 war, the MiGs had emerged as the clear winner against the F-104 Starfighter in the much anticipated air combat.
It proved its prowess once again during the Kargil war in 1999 when the MiGs shot down a Breguet Atlantique reconnaissance aircraft of the Pakistani Navy with the R-60MK (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missile.
The presence of the MiGs during the Kargil war awarded India with a superior airpower, according to a report.
While PAF fighters did fly Combat Air Patrols (CAP) during the conflict, they stayed well within Pakistani air space. On occasions, IAF MiG-29s armed with the deadly R-77 BVR air-to-air missiles were able to lock on to PAF F-16s, forcing the latter to disengage. In the absence of a PAF threat, the IAF was able to deliver numerous devastating strikes on intruder positions and supply dumps, the report added.India has acquired a total of 120 MiG-21s by 1969 but this number would triple in the coming years when HAL began locally manufacturing 657 jets.
By 1972, HALs manufacturing efforts of the MiG-21FLs had the IAF in possession of about nine and a half Squadrons of the MiG-21FL (Type 77). The first 54 of these were built and test-flown in the USSR, then dismantled and shipped to India for reassembly; the first one built completely from scratch in India was handed over to the IAF in October 1970.
Another 205 MiG-21FLs were built in India, of which 196 were built entirely in India (the last MiG-21FLs were retired in 2005). In 1971, India took delivery of 65 MiG-21M aircraft with a licensed production of an improved variant unique to India, designated MiG-21MF (Type 88) set to begin in 1973 until 1981 - a total of 158 were built.
Meanwhile, the production line of the FLs ceased when the IAF in 1974 chose the R-13 powered MiG-21M aircraft and by 1984, India had locally built 220 MiG-21 bis 75A from scratch.
Indias acquisition of MiG-21s continues well into the late 1990s when contracts were signed (in 1996) to upgrade 125 MiG-21bis with an option for 50 more. The first two were upgraded by Sokol in Russia, the remainder by HAL; 94 were completed by January 2006.
Since the induction of 793 MiG starting in 1963, over 350 places have been lost in crashes, killing 170 pilots.
Popularly known as the "Balalaika" for its planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument, its reign as the largest number of aircraft in the IAFs fleet is due to end by 2016.
Following a string of accidents and its eventual two year grounding, the IAF, in 2010, revealed that the MiG-21 would be phased out along with the non-upgraded version of MiG-21 fighter aircraft will also be phased out by 2018.
Plans to phase out equipment approaching redundancy are in place. Non-upgraded MiG-27 and MiG-21 are being phased out progressively by March 2016 and 2018 respectively, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
April 21 2013 marks a momentous day for MiG fighter aircraft in India as it completes 50 years of its relationship with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Built in 1956, the worlds most common fighter aircraft emerged from the shadows in 1962 when India announced that it would be buying the newly developed Russian jets.
Designed by Artem Mikoyan, the aircraft served the Indian Air Force well with its participation in the 1965 conflict with Pakistan and again in 1971.
With the aircrafts capabilities under the scanner during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, the Russian fighter aircraft played a pivotal role is providing India the upper hand over Pakistan. During the war, the IAF MiG-21s claimed four PAF F-104s, two PAF F6, one PAF North American F-86 Sabre and one PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The MiG-21s also provided the IAF with air superiority over vital points and areas in the western theater of the conflict.By the end of the 1971 war, the MiGs had emerged as the clear winner against the F-104 Starfighter in the much anticipated air combat.
It proved its prowess once again during the Kargil war in 1999 when the MiGs shot down a Breguet Atlantique reconnaissance aircraft of the Pakistani Navy with the R-60MK (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missile.
The presence of the MiGs during the Kargil war awarded India with a superior airpower, according to a report.
While PAF fighters did fly Combat Air Patrols (CAP) during the conflict, they stayed well within Pakistani air space. On occasions, IAF MiG-29s armed with the deadly R-77 BVR air-to-air missiles were able to lock on to PAF F-16s, forcing the latter to disengage. In the absence of a PAF threat, the IAF was able to deliver numerous devastating strikes on intruder positions and supply dumps, the report added.India has acquired a total of 120 MiG-21s by 1969 but this number would triple in the coming years when HAL began locally manufacturing 657 jets.
By 1972, HALs manufacturing efforts of the MiG-21FLs had the IAF in possession of about nine and a half Squadrons of the MiG-21FL (Type 77). The first 54 of these were built and test-flown in the USSR, then dismantled and shipped to India for reassembly; the first one built completely from scratch in India was handed over to the IAF in October 1970.
Another 205 MiG-21FLs were built in India, of which 196 were built entirely in India (the last MiG-21FLs were retired in 2005). In 1971, India took delivery of 65 MiG-21M aircraft with a licensed production of an improved variant unique to India, designated MiG-21MF (Type 88) set to begin in 1973 until 1981 - a total of 158 were built.
Meanwhile, the production line of the FLs ceased when the IAF in 1974 chose the R-13 powered MiG-21M aircraft and by 1984, India had locally built 220 MiG-21 bis 75A from scratch.
Indias acquisition of MiG-21s continues well into the late 1990s when contracts were signed (in 1996) to upgrade 125 MiG-21bis with an option for 50 more. The first two were upgraded by Sokol in Russia, the remainder by HAL; 94 were completed by January 2006.
Since the induction of 793 MiG starting in 1963, over 350 places have been lost in crashes, killing 170 pilots.
Popularly known as the "Balalaika" for its planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument, its reign as the largest number of aircraft in the IAFs fleet is due to end by 2016.
Following a string of accidents and its eventual two year grounding, the IAF, in 2010, revealed that the MiG-21 would be phased out along with the non-upgraded version of MiG-21 fighter aircraft will also be phased out by 2018.
Plans to phase out equipment approaching redundancy are in place. Non-upgraded MiG-27 and MiG-21 are being phased out progressively by March 2016 and 2018 respectively, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
