News Analysis India

Tag: MiG 21 crash

  • MiG-21 crashes in Barmer, pilot ejects

    By PTI

    BARMER: A MiG-21 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed in a village in Barmer district on Wednesday following a “technical malfunction” during a routine trainee sortie but the pilot ejected safely, officials said.

    It is the fourth MiG-21 crash this year.

    The plane crashed in a largely uninhabited area in village Matsar at about 5.30 PM, they said, adding the IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry.

    Defence spokesperson Lt. Colonel Amitabh Sharma said that the plane was on a routine training sortie.

    The pilot sustained minor injuries and was assisted by the local villagers.

    He was later taken to a hospital.

    “No loss of life has been reported. The debris of the plane, some of it on fire, were scattered in a large area,” said a district official.

    The IAF tweeted, “At around 1730 hrs today, an IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne for a training sortie in the western sector, experienced a technical malfunction after take off. The pilot ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause,” it said.

    Sub-inspector Narpat Dan, who reached the spot, said that a thatched house in Dhani caught fire in the incident.

    Senior officials of the district administration and police also rushed to the crash site.

    Two pilots were killed in separate MiG-21 crashes in March and May in Gwalior (MP) and Moga (Punjab), respectively.

    Another MiG-21 Bison fighter plane had crashed at Suratgarh airbase of Sri Ganganagar district in Rajasthan in January, but the pilot survived.

    The Soviet-origin Mi-21 Bison is an upgraded version of the MiG-21 aircraft that the IAF began inducting in the 1960s.

    The IAF has lost many MiG-21s and other aircraft in accidents in the last few years.

    In June 2019, the Ministry of Defence informed Parliament that 27 IAF aircraft have crashed since 2016.

    At present, the IAF has around six squadrons of Mig-21 Bisons.

    A squadron comprises around 18 aircraft.

  • MiG-21 Bison will be phased out in a planned manner: Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria

    By Express News Service
    HYDERABAD: Amidst the controversy towering over the MiG-21 Bison, following a recent crash — third in this year, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said that there is a plan to phase out the ageing fleet and substituting them with modern fighter jets.

    However, he added that these vintage MiG-21s are not “flying coffins” and in fact, every plane at the academy is fit to fly. 

    The recent crash of a MiG-21 Bison– that took life of a pilot, in Gwalior has turned the spotlight on India’s longest-serving fighter plane. Talking about it, the chief said that the planes do not become accident prone just because of their age and there can be many more reasons for the accident. However, he added that MiG-21 will be phased out in a planned way very soon. 

    The Chief who was at the Air Force Academy (AFA) Dundigal, on Saturday to mark the successful completion of pre-commissioning training of flight cadets of various branches of Indian Air Force (IAF) also briefed the media about India’s position with China.

    “It has been a year since the Galwan attack and since then we have made many strategic agreements, there has definitely been an increase in the deployment at key positions and meanwhile talks are happening on diplomatic fronts to resolve the conflict,” he said.

    Talking about the timeline of the induction of Rafale, he added that by 2022 the Rafale will be added to the Indian fleet. At the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP), which saw commissioning of 161 new officers the chief awarded ‘President’s Commission’ to the graduating officers.

    The ceremony included presentation of ‘wings’ and ‘brevets’ to the newly-commissioned officers. The IAF chief also awarded ‘wings’ to officers of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard on successful completion of their flying training at AFA.

    The event also had an aerobatic display by the famous Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team, Sarang Helicopter Display Team, Pilatus PC-7 trainer and Para jumping by the Akash Ganga Team.