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..!
