A true workhorse may not be glamorous, but it carries the load when it matters most. Such is the aura of the MiG-21—the Soviet-era fighter jet that shielded India's skies as recently as May this year during Operation Sindoor, its swansong. It's almost absurd that a second-generation fighter, designed in the 1950s, shared airspace with the Dassault Rafale—a 4.5-generation multirole jet—among the most advanced in the world today. Despite being branded "flying coffins" , the jets inspired fierce loyalty among India's fighter pilots, who feel the moniker given to the warplane is unfair. More than 480 of the 872 MiG-21s inducted into the Indian Air Force crashed, according to government data. But the reasons for the crash are many, including lack of trainer aircraft, cheaper components, and

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