IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 squadron set to retire | All you need to know

The Indian Air Force will retire the MiG-21 squadron which Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman is part of. With this squadron retiring, IAF will have four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to retire former Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s MiG-21 squadron, over three years after he shot down a Pakistani F-16 combat aircraft during a dogfight over the Line of Control.

The IAF’s 51 squadron based in Srinagar will cease to exist by the end of this month. Former Wing Commander and now Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman belongs to this squadron of MiG-21 Bison.

The assets of the squadron— aircraft, equipment and personnel will be distributed to the other MiG-21 Bison squadrons. Over the course of the next 2-3 years, all squadrons of the MiG-21 Bison will retire.

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With this squadron retiring, IAF will have four squadrons of MiG-21 Bisons. The closing down of a squadron in the IAF is called number plating. If the squadron is made operational again with the entry of new aircraft, it's called resurrection.

The famous 18 squadron, the IAF's sole Param Vir Chakra squadron, was number plated in 2016 and resurrected later with the entry of Tejas. The squadron played a stellar role in the 1971 war and Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.

Similarly, the 17 squadron, the “Golden Arrows”, was resurrected on September 10, 2019 in Ambala, becoming the first Rafale squadron. The squadron was originally raised at Air Force Station, Ambala on October 1, 1951. 17 squadron has many firsts to its credit; in 1955 it was equipped with the first jet fighter, the legendary de Havilland Vampire.