How IAF’s hero became a villain 

Source: The post is based on an article “How IAFs Hero became A Villain” published in The Times of India on 1^st August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Internal and External Security; Various Security Forces and their mandate

News: Recently, a fatal accident involving India’s MiG-21 aircraft took place, which is part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet.

What are the reasons behind frequent MiG-21 aircraft crashes in India?

(1) Although India has also inducted newer aircraft to complement the MiG-21 fleet, it still forms the backbone of IAF. It has been part of the IAF since the 1960s. Over the next six decades, the fleet of MiG-21 has been subjected to adaptation and evolution to fill in capability gaps. For example, its role has shifted from a pure air defence fighter to a strike aircraft, multi-role fighter, and even as a lead-in trainer for young pilots transitioning from basic jet trainers to fighters.

(2) The use of MiG in training became a major cause of accidents. Therefore, it was tagged as the “Flying Coffin”. It was because MiG-21 was too big or complex for rookie pilots under training.

(3) Once the Hawk Jet Trainer was inducted in 2007, the accidents notably reduced,

What are the reasons that MiG-21 continued to be functional in the Indian Air Force (IAF)?

(1) There have been delays in the delivery of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), and when delivered to IAF, it was with a lesser no. of specifications, than required. Thus, IAF upgraded the MiG-21s and kept the squadron numbers from plummeting.

(2) Any modern-day air force attempts to develop a Hi-Lo mix in its fighter inventory. The ‘Hi’ component refers to expensive and more capable aircraft, and the low component refers to the aircraft used to acquire the quality that lies embedded in quantity. For example, the US has the F-22/F-16, the Chinese have developed the J-20/ J-10 and Pakistan is working on the J-10/JF-17 mix.

(3) For modern-day combat, the IAF requires Rafale to serve the hi-end of the spectrum. However, even if the LCA is inducted in large numbers, IAF would still need heavier fighter aircraft to fulfill the capability.

(4) India is facing a two-front war scenario. Therefore, the situation necessitates larger numbers of aircraft in the IAF fleet.

The problem of MiG crashes does not lie in MiG-21 or anything else, but it is the result of India’s broken procurement process. Therefore, the policymakers must fix the procurement process.