India postpones retirement of MiG-21 fighters in service since the 1960s due to delays in production of its Tejas
Delays in the production of its own Tejas fighter jet are forcing India to postpone the decommissioning of Soviet MiG-21 fighters, which first appeared in the Indian air force in 1955. The outdated aircraft, which have a sad history of accidents and disasters, will continue to serve until at least 2026.
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The Soviet MiG-21 fighter jet, which first flew in 1955, is still in service. India operates a total of about 80 MiG-21s in various modifications and has once again been forced to postpone the decision to retire them.
This is not the first postponement. Initially, it was planned to end operations in 2019, then in 2023. The problem lies in the delays in the delivery of the national fighter jet Tejas, which was supposed to replace the MiG-21. The Tejas has been in development since 1983 to replace the MiG-21, so the delay in retiring the MiG-21 has an even longer history.
Currently, Tejas production is stalled due to problems with engine supply. The Indian Tejas is powered by the American F404-IN20 from General Electric. In 2023, 99 of these engines were ordered for $720 million, and another 75 were received earlier, allowing for the production of more than 50 fighters along with prototypes.
The Indian-designed Tejas fighter jet. Illustration: Government of India
However, the reasons for the delays may not be solely on the American side, as the contract stipulated that the F404-IN20 was to be produced with significant participation of Indian companies. And the 2023 contract was apparently tied to an order for 97 Tejas Mk 1A fighters, which was placed only in the spring of 2024.
Thus, the postponement of the MiG-21 retirement to 2026 may well not be the last. This means that the service life of the fighter jet, which first strengthened the Indian air force in 1964, will be extended. The last time India received these fighters was in 1984, which means that the youngest Indian MiG-21 is currently 40 years old.
The MiG-21 has a very bad reputation in India, with about half of the 840 aircraft received from the USSR lost in accidents and crashes, killing more than 170 pilots and over 40 civilians.
Source: Indian Defence Research Wing
