MiG-21 grounded: why are the Indian Air Force jets called 'flying coffins'

The Russian MiG-21s are India’s longest serving fighter jets with the first one being inducted in 1963. Over the years, the jet has infamously been dubbed the 'flying coffin' or the 'widow maker'

According to an India Today report, over 400 MiG-21 aircraft have crashed in last 60 years killing 200 pilots and 60 civilians.

2 pilots died when a MiG-21 trainer jet crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer in July 2022. In 2021, 5 MiG-21 Bisons crashed killing 3 pilots.

An Indian Express report states that more than 170 pilots have lost their lives in MiG-21 crashes according to Defence Ministry data and more than 20 crashes have been reported since 2010. The report further adds that 38 MiG-21s crashed between 2003 and 2013.

An India Today report quoted experts as saying that MiGs are single-engine aircraft which means the chance of a plane crash increases when a bird collides with it or the engine fails. It added that the number of Mig-21 crashes are also high because they form the bulk of the Indian Air Force’s inventory.

The report also says that delays in induction of new fighter jets has led to the Indian Air Force keeping the MiG-21s in service for longer inspite of completing their retirement period in mid-1990s.

Currently, the Indian Air Force has 3 MiG-21 squadrons with around 50 jets after a Srinagar based unit was retired in September 2022. The air force plans to retire the entire Soviet-origin aircraft fleet by 2025.