The Hindu : MiG-21 variants crash

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 10, 2002

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MiG-21 variants crash

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI SEPT. 9. Two MiG-21 variants crashed in Haryana and Rajasthan this afternoon but the pilots baled out safely. These aircraft had been grounded after three crashes took place in April-May and were recently cleared for flying.

The crashes take the attrition rate this year to 11, of which eight were MiG-21 variants. Four pilots lost their lives, including a highly-decorated pilot, after spending several months in hospital.

More embarrassing for the Indian Air Force is the fact that one of the aircraft which crashed today was part of a recently upgraded batch by the Russians and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Plans are on course to upgrade at least 125 MiG variants of this type.

The first MiG-21 variant crashed at noon in Pali district of Rajasthan and the pilot, Flt. Lt. Rajat Tyagi baled out safely. Two hours later, another fighter aircraft crashed outside Ambala cantonment and according to official sources, Wing Commander R. Nangia also ejected but is reported to have been injured.

The crashes took place barely weeks after Indian diplomats and representatives of a Russian company clashed over the same issue. The diplomats had accused the Russians of supplying poor quality spares, while the company executives alleged that India was re-exporting genuine spares supplied by their company and buying second-hand spares from splinter countries of the former Soviet Union.

However, the Air Headquarters here felt the charge was incorrect because all spares were tested stringently before fitment on fighter jets. A media trial appears inevitable because the two crashes took place against the backdrop of a report submitted by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on March 21 this year, recommending the immediate phasing out of MiG-21 fighter aircraft.

IAF sources said that this is easier said than done. It is true that MiG-21 form the ageing backbone of the IAF fleet and constitute as much as 60 per cent of the aircraft inventory. But the accident rate of these variants is in proportion to their strength in IAF. Also, the accident rate of fighter aircraft, particularly single engine variants, is always higher worldwide, added the sources.

They also took umbrage to MiG 21 being called a "flying coffin'' and drew attention to the then Defence Minister, Jaswant Singh's statement in Parliament in this respect. "The Government does not agree with this kind of sensationalising of a security-related issue. These aircraft remain fully airworthy and continue to carry out all the tasks, as planned during their first induction,'' he had stated.

Sources also expect the crash rate to come down after India inks a deal for advanced jet trainers from a British company. In the absence of an intermediate aircraft, pilots were forced to make a quantum jump from sub-sonic aircraft to MiG-21 variants which are high demand, supersonic fighter planes.

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