India is officially retiring the MiG-21 frontline fighters from its armed forces

India is officially retiring the MiG-21 frontline fighters from its armed forces in the fall of 2025, ending their more than 60 years of service in the country's Air Force.

Ahead of this historic farewell, Indian Air Marshal Amarprit Singh personally paid tribute to the aircraft by flying at the Nal airbase in the city of Bikaner.

The backbone of the Indian Air Force now consists of Su-30MKI and MiG-29 fighters. It was initially planned that the last few squadrons of MiG-21s would be replaced by the Indian light combat aircraft Tejas, but deliveries of domestically produced fighters have been delayed for many years. In 2022, India purchased 36 French multirole Rafale fighters.