Scrap entire MiG-21 fleet, India told
Parliament committee's advice will probably go unheeded as upgrading of the fighters has already begun
By Nirmal Ghosh
INDIA CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI - Controversy over the role of India's MiG-21 fighter jets - the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF) - has deepened with a powerful parliamentary committee recommending that they should be phased out.
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| The MiG-21 fighters which have been used since the mid-60's have been recommanded to be phased out. |
With 100 pilots killed in crashes between 1991 and 2000, India could ill afford to carry on with this ageing fleet any longer, the public accounts committee said.
Of the 221 IAF aircraft lost in accidents during the period, 100 were MiG-21 fighters, which have been in service since the mid-60s.
In recent years, the percentage of MiG-21 crashes has gone up.
The IAF was saddled with a sad compromise between what the nation could afford and what it should discard, the committee's report said.
It also recommended that the government scrap the fleet, regardless of the cost, accelerate its light combat aircraft (LCA) programme and induct a modern advanced jet trainer.
But India is stuck in a Catch-22 situation. It has a large upgrading programme for the MiG-21 in place, using Russian help with French and Israeli avionics.
Given that the LCA programme has failed to take off, there appears to be little alternative to persevering with the MiG-21.
Defence analyst General Ashok Mehta told The Straits Times: 'We are already through with the MiG-21 BIS upgrade for five squadrons - that's over 100 aircraft. It is not an unfair recommendation to scrap the fleet, but it's a Catch-22 situation.
'We have to continue to upgrade the MiG-21s in a patchwork arrangement because it will give time for the LCA to materialise.'
Defence Minister George Fernandes, who has admitted that India experienced problems in the past with the quality of Russian hardware, said some months ago that with the upgrading programme, the MiG-21s would be good for use for up to 15 or 20 years.
But in the interim, he is also keen to restart the stalled LCA project, this time with US collaboration now that Washington has lifted sanctions against India.
MiG-21: 160 still in use
BESIDES 160 MiG-21s, India currently has:
- Multi-role fighters: 40 Mirage 2000s, 75 MiG- 29s, 55 MiG-23s and 200 MiG-21BIs
- Strike aircraft: 18 Sukhoi 30s, 190 MiG-27s, 70 MiG-23s and 115 Jaguars, with a further 30 Sukhois on order.
