Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG 21 squadron to retire in September: Know all about controversial ‘flying coffin’

The Indian Air Force is all location to retire a necessary squadron of the MiG 21 fighter jets from the military in September this yr. Being retired this month is the Srinagar-essentially based MiG-21 squadron ‘Sword Hands’ that Hover Commander Abhinandan Varthaman used to be part of.

It’s the same squadron IAF pilot Varthaman used to be part of when he downed an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan a day after the Balakot strike in February 2019, sources said on Monday. ‘Sword Hands’ is one in all its four remaining squadrons of getting older MiG-21 fighter jets.

The No. 51 Squadron is to be retired by the discontinue of September, “as per the conception”, the defence sources said. Meanwhile, the defence forces have faith said that the remaining squadrons of MiG 21 jets will be phased out of the IAF by 2025.

Why is MiG 21 idea about controversial?

Since its introduction in the 60s, over half of of the MiG 21 fighter jets have faith crashed, leaving over 300 folk slow till now, at the side of IAF and military personnel, as smartly as civilians. Due to the constant snags and crashes, the aircraft has been dubbed the “flying coffin” and the “widow maker.”

The Soviet-generation aircraft has been equipped to quite loads of international locations equivalent to Bangladesh and Afghanistan, every of which have faith deemed it unfit to be used. Meanwhile, the MiG 21 aircraft is calm part of the active arsenal of the Indian Air Force.

Although the utilization of Mig 21 has been deemed controversial in the IAF, the jets continue to be part of the Air Force squadrons in the country.

Why are MiG 21 jets being retired?

Although the Soviet-generation Russian fighter jets have faith furthermore been in recordsdata in the closing quite loads of years for quite loads of crashes causing the loss of life of pilots, the sources said “when an IAF aircraft is air-borne, it manner it is miles utterly serviceable”.

“Increasing older is a ingredient, nonetheless we read reports that even a singular aircraft can smash. A smash can happen due to the quite loads of factors, at the side of weather,” a offer said.

And, the retiring Srinagar-essentially based No. 51 squadron, furthermore identified as ‘Sword Hands’, is “occurring as per the conception”, he said, at the side of that the frail fleet used to be in operation furthermore as unique ones had been awaited.

(With PTI inputs)

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