Flying Coffins

- Tvisha Ojha

Mikoyan-Gurevich 21 Bison also known as Mig-21 has recently earned the name “The Flying Coffin” after the deaths of 2 Indian Air Force pilots in Rajasthan’s Barmer during a training sortie. These Russian origin aircrafts are India's longest serving fighter jets. They were of significant use in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. It is also the most produced supersonic aircraft of all time. One may ask if these aircrafts have been so successful in the Cold War era, why are they now being called flying coffins and the widow makers?

Since the Mig-21 was built during the Soviet era, the systems and airframe of the aircraft are outdated and spare parts of the aircraft are not manufactured anymore, thereby increasing the risk. It is alleged that the life span of this aircraft has exceeded 50 years! Another reason could be the fact that the Mig-21 is made like a rocket with a single engine. It is hence likely to lose altitude and control with barrel rolls or turns. Therefore, even expert pilots sometimes aren’t able to gain back control over the aircraft in the event of a bird hit or miss calculations.

The Mig-21 aircrafts cannot be completely phased out as they are required for maintaining the squadron strength of the Indian Air Force. The flying coffins phrase is an unfortunate invention of the press and social media. The Mig-21 aircrafts have served their purpose in their time and are still among the top five fighter jets of all time. These kinds of statements are also very disrespectful to all those who have lost their lives while serving the nation .