Indian Air Force to Retire MiG-21 Bison Jets by Year-End, Marking the End of an Era

  New Delhi, July 22: :The Indian Air Force (IAF) will formally retire its remaining MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft by the end of 2025, bringing to a close a historic chapter in India's military aviation. Currently, the IAF operates two squadrons of the Bison variant, the last active iteration of the iconic Soviet-origin fighter.

According to defence sources, the IAF is planning a ceremonial farewell to honour the MiG-21’s distinguished service. The aircraft has been a critical asset to India's aerial combat capability for over six decades, participating in numerous operations and wartime engagements.

Originally scheduled for earlier retirement, the MiG-21 Bison fleet remained operational longer than anticipated due to delays in the induction of the indigenously developed Tejas Mk1A aircraft. The jet gained renewed public attention during the 2019 Balakot airstrikes when Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman famously piloted a MiG-21 Bison and engaged Pakistani fighter jets in a widely reported aerial skirmish.

First inducted into the IAF in 1963, the MiG-21 was developed by the Soviet Union’s Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau. As India's first supersonic jet fighter, it revolutionised the country’s air defence architecture and laid the foundation for modern combat aviation in India. Over the decades, more than 870 MiG-21 aircraft were inducted into the Indian fleet.

The aircraft proved its mettle in key conflicts, including the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, where it played a decisive role in air superiority and ground attack missions.

As the IAF prepares to bid farewell to the Bison, the retirement of the MiG-21 symbolises not only the end of a storied operational history but also India’s evolving transition towards next-generation indigenous air power.