New Delhi (Sputnik) — The newly appointed Indian Air Force (IAF) chief flew solo in a MiG-21 Type 96 fighter on his first visit to a forward operational base.
"The Air Chief Marshal flew MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft solo, which is the oldest fighter fleet in the IAF inventory. He flew the same type of aircraft during Kargil Operations and carried out many night strike missions in the mountainous terrain," read a statement by the IAF.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa flies a MiG —21Type 96 fighter aircraft at Air Force Station Utarlai @SpokespersonMoD 1/2 pic.twitter.com/k8gN2SBJRI
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) January 12, 2017
The MiG-21 stands tall in its performance and has been the IAF's backbone for over 53 years. As against the high crash rate of one per month after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the attrition rate has stabilized. In the last decade, attrition totaled 25 MiG 21 fighters of different variants. "There is a dire need to replace the MIG 21 aircraft which is nearly obsolete. It is not that we are not alive to this problem. Long term thinking has already started on this," said a defense official.
Chief of the Air Staff ACM B S Dhanoa on a 3 day visit to Air Force Station Utarlai flew a MiG- 21Type 96 fighter @SpokespersonMoD 2/2 pic.twitter.com/XNXWRCaQ62
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) January 12, 2017
The shortage of fighters has compelled the IAF to continue with MiG-21 till 2024. According to the India's Ministry of Defense, there is a gap in force levels since the rate at which fighter aircraft are retiring exceeds the replacement rate.
The Indian government has shown interest in a single engine replacement for the MiG 21. But sources close to the Ministry of Defense say tendering may take more than three years.
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