Chandigarh, Sep 26: A historic and emotional reunion took place in Chandigarh, the City Beautiful, where the first squadron of the MiG-21 was commissioned in 1963. On Friday, the skies thundered with a final salute to the iconic Russian-made MiG-21, which served the Indian Air Force (IAF) for nearly six decades.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, and other top military officials attended the ceremony. The farewell included a spectacular flypast by formations ‘Badal’ and ‘Panther’, with Air Chief Marshal Singh himself flying the last sortie with the call sign ‘Badal 3’. Squadron Leader Priya Sharma also played a key role in this emotional farewell.

The MiG-21 has been part of every major conflict, including the 1965 and 1971 wars, the 1999 Kargil conflict, and even the 2019 Balakot airstrike, where it shot down an F-16. For decades, it symbolized India’s air power, courage, and determination.

The IAF is now preparing to replace the MiG-21 with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, marking a new era in Indian air defence.