The Mig-27 fighter jets, which played a crucial role during the 1999 Kargil War, bid adieu to the Indian Air Force on Friday after 35 years of active service. These jets “Bahadur” flew their last sortie at Jodhpur airbase before getting decommissioned.
Air Marshal SK Ghotia, Chief of South Western Command, who was present at the event, said, the plane has been at the frontline and proved its worth in the Kargil War. Jodhpur airbase had the squadron of seven MiG-27s and they participated in the final fly-past there.
The IAF also tweeted a poem on the emotional event and said it salutes the mighty MiG-27 for its yeoman service to the nation.
#AdieuMiG27 Her targets met.
Her promises kept.
And all her duties done,
On she goes.
All haloed and pretty.
Into the setting sun.
IAF spokesperson Anupam Banerjee, who flew missions in MIG-27 during the Kargil War, described the moment as very emotional.
The last fleet of the MiG-27 was escort-landed by the Sukhoi Su-30, followed by the traditional water cannon salute, officials said. To mark this historic occasion, a team of Surya Kiran aircraft put on an air show with an acrobatic display in various formations.
These swing wing Mig-27 jets played an important role strafing high-altitude targets on mountain sides during the Kargil War. These helped the Army to climb these heights as the Pakistanis till then were dominating. In fact, the IAF lost one MIG-27 during those missions when Flight Lieutenant K Nachiketa, who was flying one jet, had to eject after his engine failed after a hit by ground fire. He was captured by the Pakistanis and returned to India some days later.
After being inducted, as many as 165 MiG-27s were assembled at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a small number significantly upgraded jets entering service from 2006 onwards. It is these jets which were decommissioned. Older variants of the MiG-27, including the MiG-23 have already stopped operating.
The MIG-27 weighing about 20 tonnes performed exceptionally well at low altitudes and carried out gun, bomb and missile attacks. The GsH-6-30 gun of the jet remains the most powerful cannon ever installed on an IAF fighter, capable of spewing out a whopping 4,000-6,000 rounds per minute.
“Swing wing” was the crucial feature of the Mig-27 as its wings which would be swept depending on the speed of the jet and the profile of the mission. The IAF no longer has any swing-wing fighters after the MIG-27 retired.
The MiG-27s could swing their wings from 16 degrees to 72 degrees depending on the mission -- flying at 45-degree sweep, making a getaway after delivering payloads at 72 degrees and taking off and landing at 16 degrees. A swing wing is important for aircraft with supersonic capabilities because such aircraft also have to sometimes fly at subsonic speeds. Moreover, a swept wing reduces drag and offers a streamlined shape during supersonic flights. At subsonic cruising speeds, it could be unswept.
The upgraded variant of this last swing-wing fleet was the pride of IAF since 2006. All the other variants such as MiG-23 BN and MiG-23 MF and the pure MiG-27 have already retired from the IAF. The phasing out of the Mig-27 will form an important chapter of the Indian military aviation history. The Kazakhstan Air Force is now the service in the world to use this kind of aircraft.
