MiG-21s to be phased out by 2017

MiG-21s, which have been in news for frequent crashes, will be phased out of the Indian Air Force by 2017 and replaced by modern fighter aircraft such as Su-30MKI and indigenous LCA. Over the years, the IAF has inducted a total of 946 MiG 21s in its fleet and 476 of them have been lost in various accidents over the past 45 years. In a recent report, the ministry acknowledged that most of these accidents had occurred due to old technology. The IAF is looking to procure 126 M-MRCA jets for which Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon have been shortlisted. The competition also involved four others including the Russian MiG 35, Swedish Saab Gripen and the American Boeing F/ A-18 E/F and the Lockheed martin F-16 combat jets.