MIG-21 BISON FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

HISTORY OF MIG-21 BISON AND HER SERVICE TO INDIAN AIR FORCE :-

The MiG-21Bis aircraft is a front-line (tactical) interceptor fighter powered by one turbojet engine. It is fitted with instruments and electronic equipment ensuring flights by day and at night under fair and bad weather conditions. The aircraft is an all-metal, cantilever mid-wing monopl ane featuring a delta wing, swept-back tail unit and controllable stabilizer. The MiG-21 BISON  (Mikoyan-Guryevich) operated, per Soviet doctrine, under close ground control in Vietnam, and its preferred tactic was to follow a formation of American aircraft low and from the rear. It would gather "smash" (speed and energy) and pop up to fire its Atoll heat-seeking missile, then turn to dive away to the sanctuary of its base. These tactics were considered successful if they did nothing more than force the American strike force to jettison its bombs prematurely.The MiGs were maneuverable in turning flight, although in a sustained turn they lost speed rapidly. Their biggest disadvantage was limited visibility to the rear, and many a MiG fell prey to a Phantom that sneaked up on it from the rear quarter.The basic Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-21 was very adaptable, and it appeared in many variants equipped with a wide variety of armament and suitable for many missions, including reconnaissance and ground attack. It was built under license in Czechoslovakia, India, and China, and served in the latter country as a tool to teach the Chinese the art of modern aircraft manufacture.As with most Soviet aircraft, the MiG-21 was sophisticated where it had to be, and rough, even primitive, where it did not matter aerodynamically. In many ways, the MiG-21 epitomizes the earnest, effective Soviet approach to combat aircraft design. It is designed as an all-weather interceptor, the Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-21 was the first delta-wing aircraft to emerge from the MiG design bureau. It was small, fast, and quite maneuverable at certain altitudes, and it proved such a challenge for the F-4s that the United States at last adopted a "dissimilar aircraft" training program.

During the war the MiG-21s played a crucial role in giving the IAF air superiority that played a huge part in India’s victory. Military analyst Edward Coggins writes in Wings That Stay On: The Role of Fighter Aircraft in War that by the time the hostilities came to an end, the IAF MiG-21s had claimed four PAF F-104s, two PAF F6, one PAF North American F-86 Sabre and one PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The Russian fighter had clearly won the much anticipated air combat between the MiG-21 and the F-104, he writes.But that’s not where the story ends. Tom Cooper writes in Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat: “Because of the formidable performance of the MiG-21s several nations, including Iraq, approached India for MiG-21 pilot training. By the early 1970s, more than 120 Iraqi pilots were being trained by the Indian Air Force.”

The MiG-21s formed the backbone of the IAF in the 1960s and ’70s. But the situation changed with the arrival of newer aircraft, which drew the most experienced pilots from the MiG-21 squadrons. There was nothing wrong with it because that’s how the system is supposed to work. But the MiG-21 now became the jet that rookie pilots graduated to. In tandem with another factor, it spelled trouble for the IAF.

Kargil was another theatre where the MiG-21 showed it was still a threat. The Pakistan Air Force’s director of operations during the war acknowledged afterward that the GPS-assisted high-altitude bombing by the MiG-21, MiG-23BN and MiG-27 was a game changer. This is corroborated by aviation historian and author Pushpindar Singh in Himalayan Eagles: “…targeting pod imagery observed by IAF pilots in real time showed enemy troops abandoning their positions at the very sound of approaching fighters.” More than half a century after its first flight, the MiG-21 packs a lethal punch. At the Cope India exercise held in 2004 at Gwalior, Indian pilots flying MiG-21 Bisons (upgraded with Russian Phazatron radar, Vympel R-73 missiles and the beyond visual range Vympel R-77 air-to-air missiles) blew away the F-15 and the F-16 fighters of the USAF on one-on-one as well as in mixed exercises. The USAF acknowledged the MiG-21 Bisons and Su-30MKIs were tough opponents.

The Indian Air Force's love affair with the MiG-21 spans nearly forty years. The first MiG-21s, the early F-13s, also known as Type 74s arrived in October 1963 equipping the newly raised ' First Supersonics' – No.28 Squadron. About six of them were acquired and were joined by another six MiG-21PFs (Type 76)s in 1965. The conversion was quite slow and the MiGs hardly had any time to show their effect in the 1965, Operations.After the end of the 65 War, reequipping of IAF squadrons was done on a war footing . HAL started the manufacturing process of the FLs and by 1971, No less than Nine and a half Squadrons were flying the MiG-21FL (Type 77) at one point of time (1972). It is estimated that the IAF acquired nearly 250 Type 77s over a period of time. The aircraft distinguished itself in the 71 Operations -- Particularly in Air Combat against the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Claims for four F-104 Starfighters, One Shenyang F-6 (Chinese copy of the MiG-19) and one Canadair F-86 Sabre were made and a host of aircraft on the ground were claimed in Counter Air Strike raids on Pakistani airbases. Six MiG-21s were lost in combat due to various reasons out of which only one was lost in Air to Air Combat - to a F-86 Sabre on the last day of the war.There were several issues about the FL that were a source of concern for the IAF. The main grouse was the lack of an integral cannon in the aircraft. The FL had only two wingstations and if they were not used for carrying Fuel, then the central weapon station has to be used to carry a fuel tank - which meant that the Cannon pod could not be carried. This deficiency was overcome in 1974 when the IAF chose the R-13 powered MiG-21M (Type 96), which succeeded the production line at HAL after the FLs were stopped manufacturing. To cover up for the commencement of production, about two squadrons worth of the MiG-21MF were procured. Approximately another 220 M/MFs were procured/manufactured for the IAF and this was to be the mainstay of the force till the late 70s. In 1980, the first unit converted to the MiG-21 Bis, a type of which nearly 300 were to be procured in total.

The indigenously developed  LCA TEJAS will be replaced in place mig-21 bison after retirement from the service..!