The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) MiG-21 Bison, a legendary fighter jet that has been the backbone of India’s air power for nearly six decades, recorded its last combat kill in 2019 when it shot down a Pakistani F-16 during a fierce aerial engagement. This historic event, following India’s Balakot airstrike on February 26, 2019, against a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist facility in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, underscored the enduring lethality of the MiG-21 and the skill of its pilots.
On February 27, 2019, as Pakistan launched a counterattack in response to the Balakot strike, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, then a Wing Commander, piloted a MiG-21 Bison over Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In a high-stakes dogfight, Abhinandan successfully shot down a US-made F-16 using an R-73 air-to-air missile, a testament to the MiG-21’s capability to take on modern, technologically superior aircraft. However, during the engagement, Abhinandan’s MiG-21 was hit, forcing him to eject over enemy-controlled territory. The IAF later provided irrefutable evidence—radar imagery, electronic signatures, and wreckage of an F-16’s AMRAAM missile—to confirm the kill, debunking Pakistan’s denial of F-16 involvement.
The MiG-21’s combat prowess is not limited to this singular event. As Wing Commander Jaideep Singh told ANI, the aircraft has a storied history of downing multiple generations of enemy fighters, from F-104 Starfighters in the 1971 Indo-Pak War to the F-16 in 2019. “The MiG-21 has a history of shooting down all generations of aircraft,” Singh said, highlighting its unique operational record. “The way the Indian Air Force has utilised the MiG-21 operationally, none of the air forces in the world have utilised this.
”Introduced to the IAF in 1963, the MiG-21, designed by the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, became India’s first supersonic fighter jet. The 28 Squadron, raised in Chandigarh and nicknamed the “First Supersonics,” marked the jet’s entry into service. Over the decades, the MiG-21 played a pivotal role in shaping India’s air dominance. During the 1965 war, it saw operational deployment, but its defining moment came in 1971. On December 14, 1971, MiG-21s struck the Governor’s residence in Dhaka, then East Pakistan, a decisive attack that led to the governor’s resignation the next day and Pakistan’s surrender on December 16, with 93,000 prisoners of war taken. This turning point in the war cemented the MiG-21’s legacy as a game-changer.
The MiG-21’s versatility was evident again in 2025 during Operation Sindoor, where it was deployed in an operational role, as noted by Wing Commander Singh. “It was involved in the 2019 Balakot attack, where Abhinandan shot down an F-16, and then, in 2025, Operation Sindoor, it was deployed operationally,” he said. The jet’s ability to remain relevant across decades, engaging advanced aircraft like the F-16, speaks to the IAF’s ingenuity in maximizing its potential.
For IAF pilots, the MiG-21 holds a special place. “Almost every pilot in the Indian Air Force, not just recently but over the decades, has flown the MiG-21 before moving on to other aircraft,” Singh said, reflecting on the deep connection pilots share with the jet. “We are going to miss them.” On Monday, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh honored this legacy by flying a sortie in a MiG-21, commemorating its nearly 60 years of service.
