In a significant celebration, India announced the retirement of the MiG-21 fleet that closed a remarkable chapter in India’s air defence history after rendering six decades of service. Its departure is not simply about phasing out an ageing platform; it is about acknowledging the need for a decisive leap into the future of aerial warfare.

When the MiG-21 was inducted in the early 1960s, it represented cutting-edge Soviet design and catapulted the Indian Air Force (IAF) into the supersonic era. In wars of 1965 and 1971, it played an outsized role in defending Indian skies. For far too long, the IAF relied on incremental upgrades rather than bold transitions.

The MiG-21 was not inherently flawed; it became a problem because of its prolonged service life. Over 300 crashes over the decades s

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