The powerful MiG-21 fighter, which roared across Indian skies for more than six decades, is set to be retired with a grand farewell in Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the place where it first joined the Indian Air Force. This remarkable fighter, though defamed for accidents, has also achieved impressive results, in wars , due to its lethal capability. The MiG-21, a hero of the Indian Air Force, will fly its last sortie tomorrow (September 26, 2025).
The official end of MiG-21 aircraft operations in the Indian Air Force will take place on September 26th in Chandigarh with a ceremonial flypast and decommissioning ceremony. These moments can also be said as the end of a historic chapter in India’s air power. The last MiG-21 jet of the 23rd Squadron, nicknamed the “Panthers,” will be given a final farewell at the Chandigarh Air Force Station.
IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh will fly the squadron’s last sortie, named “Badal 3.”
Farewell Ceremony Plan:
Dilbagh Singh, who became the Chief of the Indian Air Force in 1981, commanded the first MiG-21 squadron in Chandigarh in 1963. Over the course of six decades of service, it became a warrior with countless tales of valor, carrying the flag of pride to the skies.
Friday’s ceremony will begin with the arrival of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who will be the chief guest. The Air Force’s elite skydiving team, “Akash Ganga,” will then perform a spectacular flypast, leaping from an altitude of 8,000 feet. This will be followed by a grand flypast of MiG-21 aircraft, accompanied by the precision and aerial salute of the Air Warrior Training Team.
Fighter pilots will fly in three-plane “Badal” and four-plane “Panther” formations and roar through the sky for the last time. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team will also perform a breathtaking combat maneuver.
Postage Stamp:
A commemorative postage stamp (MiG-21 postal stamp) will be released to mark the historic retirement of the jets, which played a key role in India’s 1965 and 1971 wars, the 1999 Kargil conflict, and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.
Squadron Leader Priya Sharma:
A full dress rehearsal for this flight was also held on Wednesday. Squadron Leader Priya Sharma was among its pilots. She will be among the pilots participating in the ceremonial MiG-21 flypast. The six jets from 23 Squadron participating in the farewell ceremony will receive a water cannon salute upon landing, with Priya Sharma playing a key role in this historic moment.
Priya Sharma, who graduated from the Air Force Academy in Dundigal in 2018, is the seventh female fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. She hails from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, and her father also served in the Indian Air Force. An engineer by qualification, Priya was the only female fighter pilot in her batch. She was initially posted at Hakimpet Air Force Station in Hyderabad. She then went to Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka for her second and third stages of advanced fighter training.
Priya Sharma’s passion for flying dates back to her childhood days, when she saw Jaguar and Hawk aircraft in the sky during her father’s deployment. In August this year, she flew in formation during the Air Force Chief’s MiG-21 farewell sortie at Nal Air Force Station in Bikaner, becoming part of a historic chapter in the legacy of India’s iconic fighter jet.
