5th Indian MiG-21 Crash Caps Fatal Year For Troubled Fighter

The Indian Air Force has lost another of their experienced pilots to their troubled MiG-21 Bison, when a crash on December 24th claimed the life of 51st Squadron Wing Commander Harshit Sinha. The IAF confirmed the incident in Jaisalmer as the crash being the 5th for the aircraft type in 2021. Efforts to replace the MiG in service have been in the works for more than a decade but have yielded little change. In 2013, one surviving Wing Commander, in the wake of his own MiG-21 crash, petitioned the courts for the fleet to be scrapped, saying the fighter violated his right to a safe work environment. Overall, the aircraft type has been involved in nearly 300 accidents and losses, with over 2