The MiG 21, India’s first supersonic fighter, has taken its final flight after serving the Indian Air Force for more than sixty years. This iconic jet was a hero in the 1971 war and wrote its name into history once again during the Balakot dogfight in 2019. Admired as a reliable war machine but also infamous as the so called flying coffin, the MiG 21 leaves behind a mixed legacy. In Chandigarh, the farewell was marked with jets soaring through the skies one last time and receiving a ceremonial water cannon salute. Yet the retirement of this fighter brings serious concerns. With the number of combat squadrons at their lowest since the early 1960s and the Tejas fighter still in the process of proving itself, is India truly prepared for the next era of air combat? Palki Sharma reports.
