MiG-21 was excellent fighter aircraft by standards of 1960s and early 1970s. I will leave it at that
I am not a big military historian - I see PAF operating Mysteres, MiG-19s, F-86, F-104. Yeah the MiG-21 is better than all of those
Tormentor Of Pakistan Air Force, IAF Chief Says Will Remember MiG-21 Fighters For Their ‘Raw Power’
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MiG-21 was excellent fighter aircraft by standards of 1960s and early 1970s. I will leave it at that
I am not a big military historian - I see PAF operating Mysteres, MiG-19s, F-86, F-104. Yeah the MiG-21 is better than all of those
El Sidd
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Explains the colonial itch that India inherited too.
Whether you like it or not the initial force structure, training and ethos of both Indian & Pakistani militaries were inherited from the British
maverick1977
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Tormentor Of Pakistan Air Force, IAF Chief Says Will Remember MiG-21 Fighters For Their ‘Raw Power’
Come October 8, and a legend will fly into the sunset. The Soviet-origin MiG-21s would participate in their last flypast in the world on the 91st anniversary celebration of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
MiG-21s have the distinction of being the first supersonic fighter jets of the IAF and one of the force’s longest-serving aircraft. They will be phased out after 60 years of service, and presently, the IAF is the only force in the world flying these vintage jets. The last of the MiG-21 Bis was produced in 1985.
Designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (OKB) of the erstwhile Soviet Union, the aircraft undertook its maiden flight on June 16, 1955. The IAF inducted its first single-engine MiG 21 in 1963. At one point, the aircraft were the backbone of the IAF.
After the first MiG-21s arrived, six MiG-21PFs (Type 76) were inducted in 1965. Another 250 MiG-21 FL (Type 77) variant machines were added, and the plane saw another variant called MiG-21M/MFs (Type 96). The most recent variant is MiG-21 Bis (Type 75). The IAF had planned to have a replacement for MiG-21 ready by 1994.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) licence-produced 657 of these jets. Over the years, avionics, missiles, and radars were upgraded with newer versions.
A Legend For Raw Power
The IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari announced this on October 3 at the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day, “It will be the last flypast of the MiG-21s. The aircraft is planned to be phased out in 2025.”
One squadron of the upgraded MiG-21 ‘Bisons’ will be number-plated in October. And another squadron will follow suit in 2024. Over 100 MiG-21s in the IAF have been upgraded to Bison since 2006.
On the sidelines of the conference, the IAF chief told the EurAsian Times that he would remember the aircraft for its “raw power.” “The aircraft was a pure pleasure to fly. Yes, we faced some issues, but it is a legend that has served us well,” the IAF chief added. The chief has been a MiG-21 pilot himself.
The MiG-21 was a supersonic monster flying faster than twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.25. A vast Tumansky R-11 F-300 engine powered it. It had an R1L radar fitted into its nose cone, which could locate enemy fighters at a range of 20 km.
The MiG-21 FL was armed with two Vympal K-13 (AA-2 Atoll-A) infrared-homing air-to-air missiles. Due to its limited range, the MiG had to carry a drop tank under the fuselage, which could be traded for a GSh-23 twin-barrelled cannon pod.
India got its first single-engine MiG-21 in 1963, and it progressively inducted 874 variants of the Soviet-origin supersonic fighters to bolster its combat potential. The aircraft has seen action in different wars, including the 1971 Bangladesh war, the 1999 Kargil conflict, and the most recent air duel after the Balakot airstrike in 2019.
The Air Chief added: “These MiG-21s will be replaced by indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) `Tejas’.” The IAF had earlier contracted for 83 LCA-Mk1A, and an additional order for 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A fighter jets is expected later this year.
An American US Air Force’s Constant Peg program pilot has described the ‘Fishbed’ (the NATO name for MiG-21) as a “beefed up, fighter version” of the Northrop T-38 Talon jet trainer. The MiG was fast, simple, and “surprisingly nimble” in simulated dogfights against American pilots in American planes. Although MiG-21s had numerous shortcomings, the Soviets still produced 11,000 of them, prompting McCoy to call the planes “deadly due to sheer numbers.”
When MiG-21 Won 1971 War For India
In December 1971, the IAF had three squadrons of MiG-21s in the east and five squadrons in the west. The fighter jet saw action for the first time on December 4, 1971, marking the beginning of the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Flying Officer Jayendra Sukrut Raj of the Number 4 Oorials shot down a Pakistani Canadair F-86E Sabre over Tezgaon in East Pakistan.
An Indian Air Force MiG-21 in flight
On December 6, Wing Commander Bishnoi led a formation of four MiG-21s from the 28th squadron towards Tezgaon, the only operational PAF Airbase in East Pakistan. Each MiG-21 dropped 500 kg iron bombs directly onto the runway, grounding the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). No PAF Sabre could take off from the cratered runway, and the IAF dominated the skies over East Pakistan within 48 hours.
On the western border, the much-awaited showdown between the Indian MiG-21s and the Pakistani Starfighter occurred on December 12 when Flight Lieutenant Bharat Bhushan Soni shot down a PAF Starfighter over the Arabian Sea.
Meanwhile, the IAF had modified and inducted four MiG-21s into the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment. Squadron Leader Tester Jall Master carried out a night bombing of both the Shorkot Road airfield and the Chaklala airbase in West Pakistan. He would later shoot down an F-86 F Sabre on December 9.
During the 1971 war, the MiGs were also employed to attack targets, including a cabinet meeting held by the East Pakistani administration. The fighter jet proved its mettle in the 1971 war.
It saw little action in the 1999 Kargil conflict. In August 1999, the MiG-21 shot down a Pakistani aircraft, Flight Atlantic-91, a French-built Breguet Atlantic plane. All 16 Pakistani personnel, including five officers on board, were killed in the crash.
Tormentor Of Pakistan Air Force, IAF Chief Says Will Remember MiG-21 Fighters For Their 'Raw Power'
Come October 8, and a legend will fly into the sunset. The Soviet-origin MiG-21s would participate in their last flypast in the world on the 91st anniversary celebration of the Indian Air Force (IAF). MiG-21s have the distinction of being the first supersonic fighter jets of the IAF and one of...www.eurasiantimes.com
In other words, IAF and its chief lives in a parallel universe where shamelessness becomes chest thumping and wrongly praising the dead horse. IAF chief making all these tall claims while forgetting that 100s of IAF pilots left the IAF due to this FLYING COFFIN and joined the private sector. After 27 Feb 2019, that time air chief forced to lead and flew this flying coffin just to prove its air worthiness along with a POW.
Yet Pajeets shamelessly claiming that Flying Coffin was a tormentor for Pakistan Air Force infact Indian Air force shiverd for decades when Pakistan got F-16s untill they got Mighty Mini Awacs Su-30MKI but 27/02/2019 proved it not more than a p*ssy and now Pajeets banking on the Rafales
PS: One can imagine how PAF was tormentored by this shitty aircraft, actually we feared God know when this aircraft starts crawling instead of dog fighting.
This is their way of putting the same narrative when Sanjay Dutt is in action of one sided movie.
Areesh
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Only a highly delusional high on weed pajeet would call mig21 "tormentor of PAF"
Shooting down two enemy aircrafts while getting one own shot down by a much older aircraft is apparently torment according to these guys
There are more than 200 iaf pilots who are not alive today just because of this aircraft. Dozens of civilians too. But these clowns are calling it a tormentor for PAF
This is low even by pajeet standards
James David
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93,000 dudes surrendering to that mustached dude (that freakin mustach is epic by the way like Pancho Villa). End of East Pakistan... errr Bangladesh is it?
View attachment 958280
93,000 dudes surrendering to that mustached dude (that freakin mustach is epic by the way like Pancho Villa). End of East Pakistan... errr Bangladesh is it?
It goes something like this "pachas kutay mil jain tho sheer ka shikaar ker he laitay hein"
Straight from the horse's mouth.
Bilal9
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There are more than 200 Indian pilots who are dead along with a few dozen Indian civilians who met the same fate thanks to this aircraft
But pajeets think it was a tormentor for PAF
These people are unbelievable liars.
My dad as a young officer was stationed around Tezgaon Old Airport (Dhaka) in 1971 and he saw half a dozen MiG-21 FLs fly at treetop level, pull up and do incomplete "V" bombing runs and crash (failed to pull up after releasing the runway demolition bombs). High wing loading of the MiG-21 delta wing may have been a contributing factor.
Culprit was just not the rather shabby quality of these Indian-built MiGs (IAF assembled them via HAL to save a buck) but also how they were poorly maintained at Kalaikunda airbase bordering Bangladesh.
I feel sad for these hapless pilots who had to die just because their country cheap'd out on maintenance and parts. But they did sign up for these assignments, knowing what their rides amounted to.
Although Canadair F-86's and MiG-21FLs were three generations apart (a highly unequal fight), there was gallantry nonetheless, some PAF F-86's were able to down some IAF MiG-21s after fierce dog-fights about 5000 feet over Dhaka. These fierce dogfights were observed by Dhaka residents from their rooftops at the time.
The F-86's were more comparable to the MiG-15s, which were three generation older than the MiG-21.
The MiG-21 versions surviving today are refurb MF (Bison) models rather than the FL models.
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Sir, could you post any real Pic of Mystere flying with PAF livery? I have all others mentioned in my collection except Mysteres.
Will also enhance the knowledge of the members.
Sir, thanks for trying to awake a professional from his deep sleep, no idea how such people become 'PROFESSIONAL' on PDF with ZERO professionalism in their posts. Such trolls even does not deserved to be replied.
I might be confusing Mysteres with something else. My bad
ziaulislam
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Quiet a shame that India never approached west pakistan..what a loss of opportunity to liberate kashmir
They only came to east when bengalis had already done the job
1000s of indians troops died to create another extremist Islamic country
Mig-21, calling it a tormentor for PAF, IAF chief is smoking too much.
A good aircraft in the 60s and 70s, and a widow maker by the 90s and 2000s.
Would blame IAF’s irresponsibility for not replacing the aircraft 2 decades earlier.
A good aircraft in the 60s and 70s, and a widow maker by the 90s and 2000s.
Would blame IAF’s irresponsibility for not replacing the aircraft 2 decades earlier.
Areesh
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View attachment 958280
93,000 dudes surrendering to that mustached dude (that freakin mustach is epic by the way like Pancho Villa). End of East Pakistan... errr Bangladesh is it?
Let me repeat it for you again
Thread is about Mig21. Not 1971
Hope you get it this time
PDF standards have gone down so low that even professionals are to be spoon-fed everything
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