(MENAFN) Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh took to the skies in a MiG-21 as part of one of its final operational flights, just a month before the fighter jet’s official retirement, the Indian Air Force (IAF) announced.

The MiG-21, a mainstay of India’s air fleet for more than six decades, was originally designed by the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau.

”Honoring the enduring legacy of MiG-21, the Chief of the Air Staff visited No. 23 Squadron ‘Panthers’, the last squadron operating the legendary fighter,” the IAF stated on social media. ”The CAS flew a fighter sortie, and also in a formation led by Squadron Leader Priya, symbolizing both tradition and transformation.”

“It’s an amazing aircraft to fly, very agile and maneuverable…It will be missed by all who flew it,” Singh told the press following the flights.

The MiG-21 has played a prominent role in India’s military history, including the 1965 and 1971 conflicts with Pakistan. A MiG-21 was also credited with shooting down a Pakistani naval aircraft in 1999, and again made headlines in 2019 after taking down a Pakistani F-16, according to IAF spokesman Jaideep Singh.

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