The twin-seater MiG-21 trainer taking off from Uttarlai airbase crashed near Bhimda village while taking off at around 9.10 pm. Both pilots suffered fatal injuries. Visuals from the site showed flames emanating from the wreckage of the fighter, spread over a large area.
#watch | #Rajasthan: A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Barmer district. https://t.co/XScur1Mi4m
— The Times of India (@timesofindia) 1659027001000
IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry to establish the exact cause of the accident, even as Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary to inquire about the accident Was.
Deeply saddened by the loss of two air warriors in the crash of a MiG-21 trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force near Barmer… https://t.co/1hssrUhoBi
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1659029803000
There have been at least six MiG-21 crashes since January last year, killing five pilots. In all, at least 44 military personnel have lost their lives in 46 plane and helicopter crashes in the armed forces in the last five years. The old Soviet-origin MiG-21, the first truly supersonic fighter aircraft to be inducted by the Indian Air Force in 1963, has had a high accident rate, especially over the years.
The MiG-21 should have been retired long back. But the huge delay in induction of new fighters, especially the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), has meant that the Indian Air Force still converts four MiG-21 squadrons (16-18 jets each) to ‘Bison’ standards. Works even after upgrading.
The MiG-21, which has a landing and take-off speed of 340 kmph in the world, is of 1960s design vintage and largely devoid of modern systems with built-in safety mechanisms.
watch Indian Air Force fighter aircraft MiG-21 ‘Bison’ crashes in Rajasthan’s Barmer, 2 pilots killed