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Indian Air Force: MiG-23BN Fighters to Bid Adieu to Active Service

2009-03-04 The MiG-23BN ground attack aircraft, which never saw action during its 26 years with the Indian Air Force, will bid adieu to the service on Friday.

The MiG-23BN, currently operated only by the 221 Squadron of the IAF's 9 Wing, will be phased out at the Halwara airbase in Punjab after a flying display and touchdown, air force officials said today.

Bought from Russia in 1982 to counter Pakistan's air superiority F-16 fighters, the fighters never took part in any operation against the enemy.

But they were pressed into service during the 1999 Kargil war and carried out patrols during the 2001-02 stand-off with Pakistan as part of Operation Parakram.

With a dubious safety record and beset with engine troubles, the aircraft's phase out comes at a time when there were reports of burgeoning maintenance costs and problems relating to non-availability of spare parts.

Of the four squadrons the IAF had -- over 70 aircraft -- half of them were lost in air crashes and other mishaps.

"Maintaining the aircraft fleet is very expensive for the IAF, so we have to phase out the aircraft, which has served us well over two decades-and-a-half. The aircraft incur heavy financial costs for repairs and spares," an official said.

Its air superiority version, the MiG-23MF, used as an interceptor in air defence roles by the IAF, was phased out in 2007.

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