MiG-21 sets off into the sunset: What happens to military aircraft after they retire?

Today (September 26) marks the end of an era. After six decades of serving the Indian Air Force, India’s most iconic warplane, the MiG-21, has taken its last flight today in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, completing the circle of life with the aircraft — it’s the same place where the first MiG-21 was inducted into the Air Force in 1963.

In a grand event, six Bison variants, led by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh (call sign ‘Badal 3’) soared above Chandigarh one last time. And a water cannon salute honoured the jets on landing.

But even as India bids adieu to the MiG-21, there’s a question that lingers on many minds: What happens to these planes after they are decommissioned?

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Here’s what we found out.

Decommissioning of the MiG-21

After a service that far exceeds any individual’s in the Armed Forces, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 has flown off into the sunset on Friday, September 26.

The Soviet-era plane was first inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1963 and since then become the backbone of the force. With its needle nose, and blistering fast speeds, the MiG-21 became the cynosure of the Indian Air Force.

In fact, the MiG-21 has until now served in various roles in all of India’s conflicts — be it the 1965 and 1971 conflicts with Pakistan, the Kargil war, and even the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.

However, it has a mixed legacy, as in its latter years, it gained the morbid ‘flying coffin’ tag owing to the high number of crashes associated with it. As Rahul Bhatia, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk consulting firm, told the BBC, “Starting in the early 2000s, the fighter became better known for its high crash rate. Pilots look back at the MiG-21 fondly, but the aircraft stayed in service far longer than it should have.”

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The future of decommissioned planes

So, what comes next for planes which are decommissioned. In India, there are many possibilities for a fighter jet after retirement. The aircraft could be stripped apart for equipment and spare parts. It could be preserved in museums and other facilities for display, it could even be used as expendable aerial targets.

Dismantled and sold for scrap

When a plane is decommissioned, the first thing that is done is that it is analysed, following which it is decided what is to be done to it. In most cases, the aircraft is stripped apart for spare parts while the external body would be dismantled and sold for scrap.

However, before being dismantled, the equipment inside the plane, including its radars, sensors, electronic warfare suits, cockpit electronics are carefully removed. In some cases, these could be repurposed on sister aircraft, which are still in service.

This is similar to what happens to the Indian Navy’s warships. For instance, in 2014, the INS Vikrant, which had been decommissioned, was sold as scrap for Rs 60 crore to IB Commercial Pvt Ltd.

Displays, museums and private collectors

Not all military aircraft are subjected to the harsh scrapyard. Some get the honour of being displayed at museums or military installations. These public displays of the jets are to motivate the youth to join the Armed Forces.

For instance, the Soviet-era TU-142M aircraft, which was commissioned into the Air Force, was transformed into a museum in 2017 and is situated at Visakhapatnam’s beach, opposite the submarine museum, making it a fascinating tourist attraction.

Some other aircraft are also sold to private collectors. In 2019, Michel Pont, a French winemaker, held the honour of holding the largest private collection of fighter jets in the world. His collection spanned airplanes from the dawn of the Jet Age, such as the Royal Air Force’s Meteor fighter, all the way up to the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

It’s important to note here that before these planes are displayed at museums or sold to private collectors, their parts are removed. Moreover, there are some planes which are off limits to buyers. One such plane is the F-22 Raptor that is totally off-limits to foreign buyers due to national security restrictions.

Aerial targets

In some cases, retired jets are repurposed to be used for target practice. This practice dates back to World War I when the British used old, cheap aircraft as target practice. Later, in World War II, the British even modified a bi-plane trainer into the DH Queen Bee drone to use as target practice.

According to SimpleFlying.com, this has been the fate of many US fighter jets. Fighter jets like the F-4 Phantom II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-86 Sabres, F-100 Super Sabre, F-102 Delta Dart, etc. One particularly notable target used in the past is the B-17 Flying Fortress.

Welcome to the American ‘Boneyard’

What is very interesting is that in the US, retired aircraft, be it military or civilian, are moved to storage in the Arizona desert at the Davis-Monthan Air Base, which is also known as the ‘largest aircraft boneyard in the world’.

It is reported that its 2,600 acres are littered with more than $32 billion worth of outdated planes, including all of the US government’s out-of-service aircraft. A total of 4,400 jets are parked here.

According to Airplane Boneyards, the boneyard has different categories for the aircraft in storage ranging from keeping the aircraft in a high potential to return to service (Type 1000) to being completely gutted for parts (Type 4000).

One report states that when an aircraft arrives at the ‘boneyard’, it is thoroughly washed to rid the exterior of any salt that may cause corrosion. Technicians drain fuel tanks and flush them with lubricant. They cover the tyres to prevent the sun from deteriorating the rubber. Finally, they paint the top coat in white to deflect the scorching desert sunrays.

Notably, the technicians pay special attention to the retired B-52 bombers, which are capable of carrying thermonuclear weapons. To comply with treaties forged between the US and the former Soviet Union, the B-52 Stratofortresses are stored with wings removed so that foreign satellites can verify their non-activity.

All in all, the decommissioning of an aircraft is fascinating and yet a heart-breaking moment.

With inputs from agencies