MiG-21: Sun sets on India's iconic and controversial Soviet fighter jet

MiG-21 served in all conflicts with Pakistan since 1965 and was later known for a high crash rate.

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"At Mach 2 you can feel the lightness in the stomach. The MiG‑21's turns at that speed are vast - banking sharply can carry you over many kilometres before completing a full arc," recalls Air Marshal (retired) Prithvi Singh Brar. He joined the Air Force in 1960, switched to the Soviet jet in 1966, and flew it for the next 26 years.

"I loved flying the MiG-21 the way a bird loves the sky. In combat it protected me - when the hawk comes for the bird, the clever bird gets away. That's what the MiG-21 was for me," he told me.

After six decades of admiration - and later, infamy - India's most iconic warplane is finally taking its last flight on Friday. At its peak, the MiG‑21 was the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF), making up two-thirds of its fighter fleet. It inspired fierce loyalty among its pilots, yet also acquired the grim nickname "flying coffin" after a series of deadly crashes in its twilight years.

According to official figures, between 1966 and 1980, India procured 872 MiG aircraft of various models.