Tag Archives: Indian Air Force

Indian Balalaikas

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First acquired in March 1963, the MiG-21 (NATO: Fishbed), a legendary fighter and the first supersonic aircraft in the IAF inventory, has flown its last flight under the green, white, and red Indian roundel.

The final flight came from the Panthers of the 23rd Squadron at Chandigarh Air Force Station on 26 September 2025. Keep in mind, these were not training aircraft and were on airstrip alert up until the past few weeks.

A 62-year run for any combat aircraft isn’t bad.

A hero of the 1971 War, where they engaged Pakistani F-104 Starfighters in supersonic dogfights, securing India’s first jet-on-jet kills (earning a claimed 13:1 kill ratio), the MiG-21 was upgraded over the years to undertake multiple combat roles, including ground attack.

India was the largest non-Soviet operator of MiG-21s and the largest maker outside of the Motherland. Of the 11,496 MiG-21s produced, at least 840 of those (MiG-21FL, MiG-21M, and MiG-21bis variants) were built domestically in India by HAL, while another 400 were purchased directly from the Russians.

With the retirement of the “Balalaika” from IAF service, which ended production in 1986, only about 150 of the type remain in token use by Angola, Cuba, Mali, Mozambique, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and you can bet few of those are airworthy.

About 400 Chinese Chengdu J-7 (NATO: Fishpot) knock-offs, which remained in production until 2013, are in service as well, primarily with the Norks.

And just like that, we have a new jet

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So Lockheed Martin just coughed up an updated F-16 they call the F-21 to pitch to the Indian Air Force, who is shopping hard for a new strike fighter to replace aging Jaguars and MiG-29s. While the current crop of suitors includes the F-16, MiG-35, Dassault Rafale, and Eurofighter Typhoon, the IAF is reportedly not loving the F-16 as it is a more dated design. With that in mind: Boom! Here’s the F-21!

“Specifically configured for the Indian Air Force, the F-21 provides unmatched ‘Make in India’ opportunities and strengthens India’s path to an advanced airpower future,” says Lockheed, hinting it as a stepping stone to get some of that sweet F-35 love.

The move reminds me of that time in 1982 that Northrop took the F-5G and dubbed it– the F-20 Tigershark!

Only 3 Tigersharks were built on spec and, with no sales on the horizon for the upgraded Vietnam-era aircraft, Northrop canned the program in 1986.

Maybe Lockheed will have better luck