End of an Era, Indian Air Force retires MiG-21s

On October 3, 2023, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) VR Chaudhari, the head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), announced during a pre-annual Air Force Day press briefing that the phase-out of the MiG-21Bison aircraft is nearing completion. According to ACM Chaudhari, this year's Air Force Day flypast, celebrating the 91st anniversary on October 8, will mark the final participation of the MiG-21Bison.

Currently, there are still three squadrons of MiG-21Bison in operation with IAF: No.3 Squadron Cobras at Nal/Bikaner AFS, No.4 Squadron Oorials at Uttarlai AFS, and No.23 Squadron Panthers at Suratgarh AFS.
The MiG-21's successor is the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. Presently, the IAF has two operational squadrons equipped with LCA Tejas Mk1. The delivery of the first LCA Tejas Mk1A is scheduled to commence in February 2024.

The Air Force Commander mentioned that in addition to the previous agreement for 83 LCA-Mk1A aircraft, an order for an additional 97 fighter jets of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark-1A will be finalized later this year. "We will enter into an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). They might also distribute some of the work to private companies." It's important to note that the figure of 97 is not intended to decrease the current estimate for the Tejas Mark.

India retires MiG-21 MiG-27ML Fleet

The Indian Air Force on Friday bid adieu to two of its old Russian-origin MiG fighter aircraft, one of which was flown by the Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa in its swansong flight.
At the Nal airbase in Rajasthan, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa flew the last sortie of the Hawkeyes, 108 Squadron, bringing a glorious end to the reign of the MiG-21 T-96 aircraft, flown by the squadron.
This comes days after former IAF chief Fali Homi Major flew the last sortie of the Mi-8 helicopter in Bengaluru before the choppers stopped flying.
"It is in the IAF tradition to have the senior-most pilot fly the oldest machine while bidding adieu," said an IAF official.
The 108 Squadron is being 'number-plated', which means it would remain dormant for the time being and would be re-formed to produce new aircraft.
In Hashimara in West Bengal, the last MiG-27 ML roared for the last time in its farewell flight.
Named Bahadur, the swing-wing MiG-27 ML has the single most powerful engine in the world with a variable geometry wing that allows a pilot to change the wing sweep angle while flying as per the mission requirements.
The aircraft, which was flown by the 22 Squadron, is also being number-plated.
Though the MLs have retired, they are not the last swing-wing aircraft in service. Some of the MiG-27s were upgraded to MiG-27 UPG, which will continue to fly.
The MiG-27 UPGs are based in Jodhpur.
deccanherald

Bulgaria retires last MiG-21 fighters

The Bulgarian air force on 18 December held a ceremony to mark the retirement of its last Mikoyan MiG-21 fighters.
Involving the nation's last three serviceable examples – two single-seat MiG-21bis's and a two-seat MiG-21UM1 trainer – the event marked the end of regular flight operations, although the former pair will remain available to conduct quick reaction alert sorties until 31 December. The fighters will then be kept in storage at Graf Ignatievo air base, ready to be returned to airworthy status should the need arise.
Bulgaria's MiG-21 fleet had originally been slated for retirement in 2012, but the type's availability was continued through two life-extension efforts. This was deemed necessary due to airworthiness problems experienced by the air force's Mikoyan MiG-29 fleet.
A potential further extension of the remaining MiG-21s has been rejected due to the cost of overhauling the aircraft, which were manufactured in 1981 and 1982. Instead, the air force has opted to direct its efforts and available funds towards maintaining its struggling MiG-29 fleet.
flightglobal

India Ends MMRCA Deal and Will Only Buy 36 Rafales To France

India's defence minister has said Delhi will not buy more than the 36 Dassault Rafales to which it committed in April.
The announcement confirms the end of the MMRCA tender and the government's commitment to the Tejas LCA programme
India will neither licence-build additional Dassault Rafale fighters nor acquire more than the 36 it recently agreed to buy in flyaway condition.
The money India had saved by acquiring 90 fewer Rafales would be diverted to buying 200-odd indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
The LCA will replace 10 to 12 MiG-21 and MiG-27 squadrons to be retired from 2022.
India had been in negotiations with Dassault since 2012 to acquire 126 Rafales.
Of these, 18 were to have been bought off the shelf and 108 licence-built by Hindustan Aeronautics.
janes

Portugal deploys F-16s to Romania

Four F-16AM of the Portuguese Air Force will arrive at the Romanian Air Force 71st Air on 4 May.
The aircraft of Squadron 201 'Falcões' and Squadron 301 'Jaguares' from Monte Real airbase No. 5 will be stationed in Romania until 30 June as part of 'Falcon Defence 2015' unitary concept training mission. This is intended as a reassurance measure for the alliance's eastern members and also to meet specific NATO interoperability and standardisation requirements.
The deployment follows closely behind the 1 September and 31 December 2014 deployment of six Portuguese F-16AM aircraft to Siauliai airbase in Lithuania for NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission.
From September 2016 to late 2017, 12 Portuguese F-16s (nine single-seat F-16AM and three twin-seat F-16BM aircraft) will be transferred to the Romanian Air Force as part of a deal sealed by both countries in 2013. The aircraft will progressively replace the ageing MiG-21 LanceR fighters currently fielded by Romania.
Portugal will keep 39 aircraft in its inventory including the three F-16A Block 15s granted by the United States as excess defence articles and now being modernised by OGMA-Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal.
janes

Croatia Unveils Plans to Acquire New Fighter Jets To Replace MiG-21s

The Croatian government has unveiled plans to acquire new fighter jets with the aim of replacing its Soviet-designed Mikoyan MiG-21s.
The two leading contenders for the designed deal are the F-16 JAS-39 Gripen, with Zagreb planning to buy aircraft that are either new or currently used by other NATO member states, local newspaper Jutarnji first reported. Alternatives considered included France's Mirage, Israeli Kfir and a version of South Korea's T-50.
The Croatian government is reportedly aiming to replace its Soviet-designed fighter jets with Western-made aircraft as part of the country's ongoing efforts to modernize its Air Force's fleet and eliminate weapons and military equipment used by Russia and its allies.
Currently, the Croatian Air Force has a total of 12 MiG-21bisD/UMD aircraft in its fleet.
The new fighter jet for the country's armed forces is to be selected by the end of this year.
The amount of the planned procurement, as well as the estimated worth of the acquisition, was not disclosed by the Croatian authorities.
defensenews

Bulgaria Eyes New Fighter Jets

Bulgaria is considering buying new fighter jets.
Defense Minister aims to visit the US in the first quarter of this year to discuss the potential procurement.
The defense investment strategy presented by the country's previous government states Bulgaria aims to acquire new fighter jets to replace its Soviet-built aircraft. When the country joined NATO in March 2004, Sofia vowed to replace six of its Mikoyan MiG-21 aircraft and acquire eight new fighter jets by 2016.
Due to the "inflated" cost of maintenance, the Bulgarian ministry would also no longer rely on Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG to repair and service the country's 12 MiG-29 fighter jets, and could instead opt for awarding a new contract to a Polish defense company.
The current contract is set to expire in September, and the Defense Ministry is negotiating with Poland, which offers preferential conditions to Bulgaria.
defensenews

Indian Air Force finally gets Tejas,after a wait of 32 years

Thirty-two years after the project was sanctioned, the first indigenously -built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was on Saturday handed over by indian Defence Minister to the Indian Air Force.
The handover signals the start of a process of induction of the fighters being built at India.
The aircraft that has been handed over has got Initial Operational Clearance-II, which signifies that Tejas is airworthy in different conditions.
The Final Operational Clearance (FOC) is expected by the year-end.
Twenty aircraft will be built by 2017-2018, to make the first squadron of the aircraft. The LCA programme was initiated in 1983 to replace the ageing MiG-21s in IAF's combat fleet but has missed several deadlines due to various reasons.
indiatoday

French officials to visit India to rescue stalled Rafale jet deal

A French delegation will visit New Delhi this month to salvage an agreement to supply 126 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force that has hit a snag over the local assembly of the planes, threatening to derail one of the world's biggest defence deals.
India is insisting that France's Dassault Aviation take full responsibility for the production of the aircraft at a state-run facility in Bangalore under the 2012 bid offer.
France has said it will help HAL stick to delivery schedules, but that it cannot give guarantees for production of the aircraft made at a facility over which it has no administrative or expert control.
Military experts say the deal could cost India $20 billion, double the original estimate, because of the benchmarking of aircraft prices and a roughly 5 percent annual cost increase.
The Rafale fighter beat the Swedish Gripen, the Russian MiG-35, and the U.S.-built F-18 and F-16 and finally the Eurofighter in a decade-long selection process for a new Indian multi-role combat aircraft, as Dassault was the lowest bidder on up-front and lifecycle costs over 40 years.
But three years on, the sides are far from signing the contract and an Indian defence source said price negotiations were on hold until the issue of licensed production was resolved in line with the original request for proposals (RFP) floated by the Indian defence ministry.
For the French, the deal would be a major boost for domestic defence manufacturing, with the first 18 Rafale planes built in France and the remaining 108 produced in India.
For the Indian Air Force, the planes are critical to arrest a decline in its operational preparedness, already down to 25 active fighter squadrons compared with a government approved strength of 42.
Half of the operational fleet is Mig-21 and MiG-27 planes due to retire beginning this year until 2024,stressing the need for an early induction of new combat planes.
reuters

Syria Says It Shot Down 2 of 3 'Islamic State Warplanes'

Syria’s air force has destroyed two of three warplanes reportedly seized by fighters of the Islamic State group in the north of the country accordin Information Minister.
The jihadists were reported to have seized the three planes, believed to be MiG-21 and MiG-23 jets, from Syrian military airports now under IS control in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Raqa.
defensenews

ISIS training pilots to fly MiG fighter planes

Islamic State (Isis) is takings its first steps towards building an air force by training pilots to fly captured fighter planes.
Isis is using lots of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery and Jeeps taken from the Syrian and Iraqi armies but this is the first report that it has planes in the air.
Isis, has three Russian-built MiG jets, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
theguardian

Bulgaria Plans to Ground Its MiG-29, MiG-21 and SU-25 Russian-Made Jets

Bulgaria's military will scrap three dozen of its Russian-made fighter jets and bombers to reassert its independence from Moscow.
The plan to get rid of all Russian-made aircraft is part of Bulgaria's military development program through 2020 to further integrate the former Soviet bloc nation into the Western NATO defense alliance.
The military will present to parliament within six months a list of new airplanes to replace the 15 Russian-made MiG-29 and six MiG-21 fighters and 14 SU-25 bombers that remain in Bulgaria's air force.
themoscowtimes

Serbia's MiG-29s return to flight ops

Serbia's fleet of three MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters returned to flight operations on 2 September after an urgent delivery of batteries from Russia ended a three-month grounding.
Speaking on 31 August, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said: "We published a tender for procurement of batteries but on the personal insistence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, these batteries have been donated to us. Our planes will be fully operational again in 36 hours and we will have full sovereignty over Serbian skies".
Problems with logistical support for MiG fighters also occurred in 2013, when Vucic was Minister of Defence, with Serbian MiG-29s grounded for a few months due to a slow, bureaucratic logistical system that often caused a lack of simple but crucial spare parts such as ejection seats explosive charges, tyres, and other consumables, including fuel.
The three MiG-29s returned to service are a pair of single-seat MiG-29B and a sole MiG-29UB twin-seater aircraft. The single-seat aircraft perform Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties out of Batajnica air base, near Belgrade.
The battery problem arose from Russia's objection to the possibility of India-made batteries being installed on the aircraft, after India won the tender for the purchase with an offer two-thirds cheaper than the Russian one. Faced with possibly losing other critical Russian maintenance and logistical support services for Serbia's MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters, the Serbian Ministry of Defence stopped the procurement. As a result the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence was left without batteries. The last airworthy Serbian MiG-29 ceased flying on 24 May.
After Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic made an urgent appeal in Moscow to borrow batteries, Putin agreed to donate them instead.
Serbia depends on Russia when it comes to its small fleet of operational MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters. With significant Russian assistance in 2007 and 2008, the local Aeronautical Plant 'Moma Stanojlovic' started a general overhaul, a 750 hour/10 year life cycle extension, and limited modernisation on all five Serbian MiG-29s that survived NATO bombardment of 1999.
Four MiG-29s have been upgraded so far with one of them, a single-seat MiG-29B, lost in a fatal crash in 2009. The final single-seat MiG-29B, still being overhauled at 'Moma Stanojlovic', may never fly again because of serious structural problems with its airframe.
The small MiG-29 fleet is supplemented by an outdated life cycle-expired fleet of 19 MiG-21bis and 9 MiG-21UM 'Fishbed' fighters. Of these only a pair of MiG-21bis and a single MiG-21UM are still fit for service, although only one of them is usually airworthy at any given moment.
These obsolete 30-year-old airframes are kept operational with Russian help, in the form of scheduled inspections and time-limited on-condition life cycle extensions by Russian engineers.
Serbia's plans to use a recently announced Russian loan of almost USD1.5 billion for the procurement of MiG-29M/M2 fighters, Mi-17/171 helicopters, 3D-surveillance radars, and S-300PMU2 or S-350E and Pantsir-S1E air defence systems turned into fiasco when, during a visit to Moscow, Gasic revealed that the Russian loan for modernising Serbia's Armed Forces had been frozen and that a planned purchase of new fighters had been delayed.
This has raised questions about the future of the supersonic element of Serbia's Air Force, given its few remaining MiG-21s will soon be unserviceable and its MiG-29s will reach the end of their service lives in 2018.
janes

Mozambique MiG-21s and L-39 upgraded in Romania

The Mozambique Air Force will shortly receive back into service all eight MiG-21 and one Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainer that have been undergoing refurbishment work in Romania.
Romanian aerospace company Aerostar recently completed the restoration project on six single-seat and two twin-seat MiG-21s, as well as on the twin-seat L-39ZO.
The programme lasted 12 months, with each aircraft taking approximately 120 days to go through the process to zero-time the airframes and fit some new equipment. According to Aerostar, as well as having their airframes refurbished, the MiGs were fitted with a GPS navigation system and a digital in-flight data recorder.
Six MiG-21s are now back in Mozambique with the final two aircraft being shipped from Romania imminently. Aerostar did not disclose when the L-39 might be returned. As well as overhauling the aircraft, the company is also providing air and ground training.
The FAM reportedly received 48 MiG-21bis fighters in 1982, but none have flown for more than a decade.
janes

India considering Downsizing Rafale order from 126 to 80 fighters

As the French foreign minister met Indian political leadership, including prime minister Narendra Modi, pressing for sealing the multi-billion Rafale combat aircraft deal, New Delhi has raised serious concerns over the cost escalation of the fighter jet deal. Struggling to pay the heavy cost of the deal, the ministry of defence (MoD) is considering an option of down-sizing the deal from 126 to 80 fighter jets.
The air force is seeking to replace its ageing MiG-21s with a modern fighter and MMRCA fits between India's hig-end Sukhoi-30MKIs and its low-end Tejas LCA lightweight fighter. The IAF has a sanctioned strength of 45 fighter jet squadrons. However, it only has 30 squadrons operational as old aircraft have been retired.
Eighteen of the 126 planes will be purchased directly from Dassault, while Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will manufacture the other 108 under a licence.
dnaindia

Qatari C-17 alleged to have visited Libya

The Libyan Air Force posted a photograph of a military transport on its Facebook page on 15 January, alleging it was a Qatari aircraft that had landed at a base controlled by one of the country's militias.
Much of the Libyan Air Force, including the people who control the Facebook page, is loyal to Khalifa Haftar, a former Libyan Army officer who launched an offensive against Islamist militias in the east of the country in May without approval from the country's weak central authorities.
The aircraft in the photograph is a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft with a Qatari flag on its tail. While the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) operates four C-17s that were delivered between 2009 and 2012, there is nothing to prove the photograph was taken in Libya.
Flight records obtained by the panel of experts that monitors the UN arms embargo on Libya show that Qatari C-17s visited Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport twice and Binina Airbase outside Benghazi once between 15 January and 16 April 2013.
The panel is attempting to investigate allegations that the aircraft picked up arms shipments in Libya that were flown to Turkey and supplied to Syrian insurgents. It noted in its 19 February report that, after the three Libyan flights returned to Qatar's Al-Ubeid Airbase, the next C-17s to depart flew to Ankara.
Earlier in June, Haftar's spokesman Muhammad Hijazi accused Sudan of supplying Qatari-funded weapons to Islamist militias, saying a shipment had been flown to Mitiga International Airport for a militia loyal to Abdel Hakim Belhaj on 6 June. Belhaj is a veteran commander of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) who is now the leader of Libya's Al-Watan party. He is widely perceived to be one of the main beneficiaries of Qatari support during and since the 2011 rebellion that overthrew Muammar Ghadaffi in 2011.
The Libyan Air Defence Command, which is also loyal to Haftar, potentially has the ability to detect aircraft flying across the country's southeastern border with Sudan. It announced in October 2013 that it had repaired a P-12/18 surveillance radar and associated operations room in Al-Kufrah: a remote southeastern district that borders Sudan and Chad.
Colonel Alswarmi Khalid Saad, the spokesman for the Sudan Armed Forces, denied that Sudan has supplied weapons to militants in Libya. He added that the two countries now have excellent defence ties and that dozens of Libyans are currently studying at its military college.
The UN panel of experts has reported that Sudan has leased three Mi-24/35 combat helicopters to Libya in contravention of the arms embargo. One of the helicopters crashed in July 2013 and photographs posted on the Binina Airbase's Facebook page indicate that at least one (an Mi-24/35P with serial number 959) of the two survivors is currently operating in support of Haftar's forces.
The latest allegations imply that Qatar is again sending arms to Libya, rather than shipping them out for Syrian rebels. While the extent to which this is happening remains unclear, Libya is another potential arena for the Saudi-Qatari rivalry.
If the Saudi-backed government in Cairo can be persuaded to refuse Qatari military transports permission to fly through Egyptian airspace, then Sudan offers a potential route or transhipment point for weapons going to or from Libya.
This raises the possibility that the MiG-21 fighters operated by the Libyan Air Force elements that are loyal to Haftar could try to intercept transport aircraft flying across the Libyan-Sudanese border with the help of the early warning facility in Al-Kufrah.
janes

French airforce contingent arrives in India for 'Garuda-5' exercise

Four French Rafale fighter aircraft and a contingent of about 70 French airforce personnel on Saturday landed at Jodhpur airbase to participate in the 10-day long joint air exercise "Garuda-5".
The air exercise, will kick start at the Jodhpur airbase on June 2.
The two air forces would be engaged in various missions ranging from close combat engagement of large forces, slow mover protection, and protecting and engaging high-value aerial assets in the exercise at the strategic airbase near Indo-Pak border.
The air exercise will include four Rafale multirole fighter aircraft and one air refueler that will participate with IAF's multirole Su-30MKI, four MiG-27 and four MiG-21 aircraft. The chiefs of both air forces will be flying the Rafale and Su-30 MKI.
The objective of the exercise is to acquaint the fighter pilots of the two countries with the fighter tactics of each other, air to air refuelling, cross-servicing of a common type between ground crews and understanding basic concepts of each countries fighter operations.
zeenews

First overhauled MiG 21 sent back to Croatia from Ukraine

The first out of a total of five MiG 21 BIS aircraft of the Croatian armed forces that underwent overhaul in Odessa, Ukraine, was delivered back to Croatia on Saturday afternoon. The second overhauled aircraft can be expected in Croatia in mid-next week. A Ukrainian team of 11 engineers and technicians will arrive in Zagreb on 15 April to help their Croatian colleagues to re-assemble the overhauled planes.
dalje.com

Croatia nears receipt of delayed MiG-21s from Ukraine

Croatia's defence ministry says the current turmoil in Ukraine has nothing to do with a roughly five-month delay in returning its Mikoyan MiG-21bisD that are being overhauled in Odessa, instead citing “technical problems”.
These include issues with integrating new navigation and communication equipment, along with digital to analogue signal conversion.
The project includes the overhaul of seven aircraft and the provision of five additional single-seat examples.
The air force on 21 February took delivery of its first two Mil Mi-8MTV/-17 transport helicopters to have been overhauled under a co-operation agreement between repair facilities in Ukraine and Croatia.
Meanwhile, the Croatian defence ministry has signed a deal to train 16 student pilots from Oman, using its Pilatus PC-9s.
flightglobal

India delays Rafale deal after exhausting capital budget

India's military has postponed until the next financial year a plan to buy 126 fighter planes from France's Dassault.
New Delhi had picked the Rafale fighters for exclusive negotiations in January 2012 and had been expected to finalise the deal, by the end of March.
But negotiations to buy 18 planes off-the-shelf and build the rest in India have slowed and will stretch into the following fiscal year.
India has already spent 92 percent of its defence capital budget for this year si major procurement can only be possible in the next financial year.
India is in the midst of a $100 billion defence modernisation programme to replace Soviet-era planes and tanks, and narrow the gap with China.
India chose the Rafale after a bidding contest against the Eurofighter Typhoon.
India's air force, which launched the acquisition process in 2005, has said that delays will severely affect the fleet strength of the force.
The military was forced to turn to the overseas market because a programme to manufacture home-grown combat planes to replace ageing Russian MiG-21 fighters is running 15 years behind schedule.
reuters