Editorial: Flying coffins get a burial

The announcement by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on phasing out the entire fleet of the MiG aircraft, which have earned the nickname ‘flying coffin’ for their terrible safety record, is a welcome development, though belated. The decision came after yet another crash of MiG-21 trainer aircraft in Rajasthan’s Barmer district killing two IAF pilots. The Soviet-designed MiG-21 aircraft, inducted into the Air Force in 1963, has been questioned over its poor track record. The recent crash once again puts the spotlight on the safety issue. Over 200 accidents involving MiG aircraft have been reported since their induction. The key question remains why the IAF continued to use these aircraft despite their poor safety record. The IAF continued to depend on the MiG even though the Soviet Air Force — credited with designing the aircraft — removed it from service in 1985. After 1985, even Bangladesh and Afghanistan removed it from service. Historically, India depended heavily on Russia for military support. The Russian-made aircraft, forming the backbone of the Indian fleet, have been the most accident-prone. The MiG jet in particular has come to be known as the “flying coffin” or the “widow maker”. Of the 1,200 MiG-21s that India had purchased since 1963, as many as 495 were involved in accidents or crashes claiming the lives of more than 205 pilots and over 50 people on the ground. This is an alarming state of affairs. Last year alone, there were five crashes involving the MiG-21, resulting in the death of three pilots. On 17 March, Group Captain Ashish Gupta was killed when his MiG-21 crashed after taking off from the Gwalior airbase.

The unfailing regularity of the IAF aircraft crashes has become an embarrassing reality. The frequent accidents highlight the problems in defence modernisation. Tardy maintenance and upgrade of some of these planes is a key issue that needs to be addressed urgently. Even though the IAF has been replacing the MiG-21 with the more capable Sukhoi Su-30 and the indigenously made Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), it has been hampered by the slow pace of induction of the Tejas that faced numerous delays in development. The IAF has a severe shortage of aircraft. It is now down to 31 fighter squadrons whereas the ideal requirement is 42 squadrons to meet the challenges of a potential two-front war from Pakistan and China. The number could go down to 28 squadrons by 2024-25 when all the MiG-21s are phased out. A plethora of problems including ageing aircraft, tardy progress on indigenous production and slow pace of induction of foreign imports is plaguing the IAF. Modernising the military has been an unkept promise of successive governments. A greater private sector participation is needed to increase indigenous production and create a military-industrial complex.