IAF grounds MiG-21 fighter aircraft fleet pending investigations into last crash over Rajasthan

May 20, 2023

New Delhi, May 20 (ANI): Two weeks after a crash involving an Indian Air Force’s MiG-21 fighter aircraft, IAF has grounded the entire fleet of MiG-21 as investigations into the reasons behind the crash over Rajasthan earlier this month are ascertained. 3 people lost their lives in the crash when a MiG-21 Bison aircraft airborne from the Suratgarh air base crashed over Hanumangarh on May 8. The MiG-21 aircraft variants started getting inducted into the IAF over 5 decades and are on the verge of being phased out. The fighter jet that crashed over Rajasthan was on a routine training sortie when it met with an accident. The pilot suffered minor injuries after which an inquiry had been launched to probe the exact cause of the crash. The IAF has 31 combat aircraft squadrons including three of the MiG-21 Bison variant. The MIG-21 was inducted into the IAF in the 1960s and 800 variants of the fighter have been in service. The crash rate of the MiG-21 has been a cause of concern in recent times as many of them have met with accidents. The IAF is also looking at induction of indigenous aircraft including LCA Mark 1A, LCA Mark 2 along with Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.