Editing Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (section)

===India===
====Overview====
[[File:Back of a MiG-21.JPG|thumb|MiG-21F-13 rear view with the [[afterburner]]]]
[[File:Sheeju mig21.JPG|thumb|MiG-21 Bison of the [[Indian Air Force]]]]
India is the largest operator of MiG-21s. In 1961, the [[Indian Air Force]] (IAF) opted to purchase the MiG-21 over several other Western competitors. As part of the deal, the Soviet Union offered India full transfer of technology and rights for local assembly.<ref name= Santosh>Mehrotra, Santosh. ''India and the Soviet Union: Trade and Technology Transfer.'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1990.  {{ISBN |978-0-521-36202-3}}.</ref> In 1964, the MiG-21 became the first supersonic fighter jet to enter service with the IAF. Due to limited induction numbers and lack of pilot training, the IAF MiG-21 played a limited role in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].<ref name=Canberra>Rakshak, Bharat. [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter7.html "The Canberra and the MiG-21."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608192646/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter7.html |date=8 June 2011 }}  Retrieved 1 December 2010.</ref> However, the IAF gained valuable experience while operating the MiG-21 for defensive sorties during the war.<ref name= Canberra /> The positive feedback from IAF pilots during the 1965 war prompted India to place more orders for the fighter jet and also invest heavily in building the MiG-21's maintenance infrastructure and pilot training programs.

Since 1963, India inducted more than 1,200 MiG-21s into its air force. As of 2024, around 40 MiG-21s are known to be in operation with the IAF.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Another MiG-21 Squadron Retired: The Curtain Is Closing on IAF's Most Abiding Fighter |url=https://thewire.in/security/mig-21-squadron-retired-curtain-closing-iaf-most-abiding-fighter |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Wire |language=en}}</ref> At its peak, IAF operated 400 MiG-21s in 19 squadrons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-09-16 |title=LCA economics |url=https://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/biz/2002/09/16/stories/2002091600190300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317030448/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/biz/2002/09/16/stories/2002091600190300.htm |archive-date=2009-03-17 |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

In 2023, the IAF announced that it would replace its MiG-21 Bisons with indigenously built [[HAL Tejas|Tejas]] fighter jet.<ref name="IAF bids farewell">{{cite news |title=IAF bids farewell to MiG-21 Bison aircraft, paving the way for India's indigenous fighter jets |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/mig-21-bison-aircraft-bids-farewell-paving-the-way-for-indias-indigenous-fighter-jets/articleshow/104856108.cms?from=mdr |access-date=28 January 2024 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=1 November 2023}}</ref>

The Indian Air Force bid a ceremonial farewell to the MiG-21 in 2023 during the Air Force Day flypast held at Prayagraj. The event marked the aircraft's final public appearance in IAF colours, symbolising the end of an era for a platform that had served since 1963.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gupta |first=Anchit |title=MiG-21’s Last Public Hurrah: Finale in the Skies of Prayagraj |url=https://iafhistory.in/2023/10/06/mig-21s-last-public-hurrah-finale-in-the-skies-of-prayagraj/ |website=IAFHistory |date=6 October 2023 |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref>

====Safety record====
The plane has been plagued by safety problems. Since 1970 more than 170 Indian pilots<ref>{{cite news |title=Indian Air Force grounds Soviet-era MiG-21 fleet amid probe after Rajasthan crash |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/indian-air-force-mig-21-fleet-rajasthan-crash-b2342898.html |work=The Independent |date=21 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents, thus the unofficial nickname "flying coffin".  Over half of the 840 aircraft built between 1966 and 1984 were lost to crashes.<ref>Civil Airworthiness Certification: Former Military High-Performance Aircraft, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. p. 2-2</ref> At least 14 MiG-21s crashed between 2010 and 2013.<ref name=":1">Taneja, Kabir. [http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/the-trouble-with-indian-air-forces-mig-21-fighter-jets/ "The Trouble With India's MIG-21 Fighter Jets".] ''[[The New York Times]]'', 8 August 2013.</ref> Poor maintenance and quality of replacement parts has been considered to be a factor in this phenomenon.<ref name=":1" /> When in [[afterburner]], the engine operates very close to its surge line and the ingestion of even a small bird can lead to an engine surge/seizure and flame out.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-16 |title=The Iconic MiG-21- Great Design – Most Produced Supersonic Jet – Fearsome Reputation – Unending Service |url=https://airpowerasia.com/2020/06/16/the-iconic-mig-21-great-design-most-produced-supersonic-jet-fearsome-reputation-unending-service/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Air Power Asia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwivedi |first=Karthikey |date=2022-07-29 |title=Why Indian Air Force Still Uses Flying Coffins MiG-21s? |url=https://www.ssbcrack.com/2022/07/why-indian-air-force-still-uses-mig-21.html |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=SSBCrack |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="cnbctv2">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/mig-21-crash-despite-chequered-safety-record-why-the-flying-coffin-still-remains-in-service-14309692.htm |title=Mig-21 Crash: Despite Chequered Safety Record, Why The 'Flying Coffin' Still Remains In Service |publisher=Cnbctv18.com |date=2022-07-30 |access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Debal Dev |date=2019-03-01 |title=Who is Responsible for the Crash of Warplane Piloted by Abhinandan? |url=https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2019/03/01/who-is-responsible-for-the-crash-of-warplane-piloted-by-abhinandan/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=myIndiamyGlory |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bot Verification |url=https://iadnews.in/mig-21-crashes-iaf-politico-bureaucratic-logjam/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=iadnews.in |date=8 August 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521040921/https://iadnews.in/mig-21-crashes-iaf-politico-bureaucratic-logjam/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Future====
In view of the several incidents that have occurred after the [[Kargil War|1999 Kargil War]], the modernized MiG-21 Bison seems to have at present the role of an interceptor and possibly a limited role of a fighter aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Kargil/Atlantique.html|title=1999 Kargil Operations|access-date=14 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202195038/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Kargil/Atlantique.html|archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/indian-air-force-scrambles-fighter-jets-as-turkish-plane-sparks-alert-557913|title=Indian Air Force Scrambles Fighter Jets as Turkish Plane Sparks Alert|website=NDTV.com|access-date=14 November 2014}}</ref>

On 11 December 2013, India's second-generation supersonic jet fighter, MiG-21FL was decommissioned after being in service for 50 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=MiG-21 FL flies into Indian Air Force history |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mig-21-fl-flies-into-indian-air-force-history-544172 |website=NDTV |access-date=22 December 2021 |date=December 12, 2013}}</ref>

The Indian Air Force plans to decommission all MiG-21s by 2025.<ref name="cnbctv2"/>

====1971 Indo-Pakistan War====
{{Main|Indo-Pakistani war of 1971}}
[[File:1971 IAF MiG-21FL S5 rockets.gif|thumb|IAF MiG-21 firing its S-5 rockets over East Pakistan, 1971]]
The expansion of the IAF MiG-21 fleet marked a developing India-Soviet Union military partnership, which enabled India to field a formidable air force to counter Chinese and Pakistani threats.<ref name=autogenerated2>Till, Geoffrey. ''Globalisation and Defence in the Asia-Pacific.'' London: Taylor & Francis, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-415-44048-6}}.</ref> The capabilities of the MiG-21 were put to the test during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. During the war, the MiG-21s played a crucial role in giving the IAF air superiority over vital points and areas in the western theater of the conflict.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-16 |title=How MiG-21 tilted the 1971 war in India's favour with its 13/1 success ratio |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/how-mig-21-tilted-the-1971-war-in-indias-favour-with-its-131-success-ratio-10212001.html |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}</ref>

The 1971 war witnessed the first supersonic air combat in the [[subcontinent]] when an Indian MiG-21FL claimed a [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104A Starfighter]] with its GSh-23 twin-barrelled 23&nbsp;mm cannon.<ref>[http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Soni.html "The 1971 Liberation War: Supersonic Air Combat."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707232025/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Soni.html |date=7 July 2011 }}  ''Bharat-Rakshak.com.'' Retrieved: 1 December 2010.</ref> By the time the hostilities came to an end, the [[Indian Air Force|IAF]] MiG-21FLs had claimed four PAF [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104As]], two [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] [[Shenyang J-6|Shenyang F-6Cs]], one PAF [[North American F-86 Sabre|North American F-86F Sabre]] and one PAF [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|Lockheed C-130E Hercules]]. Only two kills were confirmed (both F-104As).{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} Two more F-104s were critically damaged by MiG-21 fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.916-starfighter.de/F-104_PAF_web.htm|title=916 Starfighter|website=www.916-starfighter.de}}</ref> Pakistan decommissioned all F-104s shortly after the end of the war.<ref>Cold War Jet Combat: Air-to-Air Jet Fighter Operations 1950—1972. Martin Bowman. Pen and Sword. 2016. P.110</ref> According to one Western military analyst, the MiG-21FLs had clearly "won" the much anticipated air combat between the MiG-21FL and the F-104A Starfighter.<ref name=Coggins>Coggins, Ed. ''Wings That Stay on.'' Nashville, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company, 2000. {{ISBN|978-1-56311-568-4}}.</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2022}}

Because of the performance of India's MiG-21s, several nations, including [[Iraq]], approached India for MiG-21 pilot training. By the early 1970s, more than 120 Iraqi pilots were being trained by the Indian Air Force.<ref name=autogenerated3>Cooper 2004 {{Page needed|date=May 2013}}.</ref>

====Kargil War====
{{Main|Kargil War}}

One MiG-21 was shot down by a Pakistani soldier using a shoulder-fired [[Man-portable air-defense system|MANPADS]] missile during the Kargil war.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KARGIL WAR & OPERATION SAFED SAGAR |url=https://indiancc.mygov.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/mygov-999999999225163159.pdf |website=Indiancc.mygov.in}}</ref>

====Other clashes====
On 10 August 1999, two MiG-21FLs of the Indian Air Force [[Pakistan Navy Atlantic shootdown|intercepted and shot down]] a Pakistani [[Bréguet 1150 Atlantic]] maritime patrol aircraft with an [[R-60 (missile)|R-60]] missile after it allegedly entered Indian [[airspace]] for surveillance, killing all 16 on board.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Philip |first=Snehesh Alex |date=2019-06-12 |title=How IAF shot down a Pakistani naval aircraft and killed 16 a month after Kargil in 1999 |url=https://theprint.in/past-forward/how-iaf-shot-down-a-pakistani-naval-aircraft-and-killed-16-a-month-after-kargil-in-1999/248868/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>

During the [[2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes]], the [[Pakistan Air Force]] shot down an Indian MiG-21UPG Bison and captured [[Abhinandan Varthaman|its pilot]]. The MiG-21's debris had fallen in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The pilot was later returned to India.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abi-Habib |first1=Maria |title=After India Loses Dogfight to Pakistan, Questions Arise About Its 'Vintage' Military |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/world/asia/india-military-united-states-china.html |work=The New York Times |date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Seligman |first1=Lara |title=India's Dogfight Loss Could Be a Win for U.S. Weapons-Makers |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/05/indias-dogfight-loss-could-be-a-win-for-u-s-weapons-makers-lockheed-boeing-pakistan/ |work=Foreign Policy |date=27 December 2023}}</ref>