WEBDESK: India’s dream of self reliance in defence lies shattered as it continues to rely on ageing MiG-21 fighter jets. Despite Prime Minister Modi’s loud “Make in India” slogan, the reality on the ground reveals a decaying system held together by makeshift repairs and outdated Soviet era aircraft.
Modi’s ‘Make in India’ exposed as defence sector relies on Soviet scraps, ‘jugaad’
India’s military remains trapped in what even its own analysts call the “jugaad culture” a patchwork approach of temporary fixes and outdated engineering. The ageing MiG-21 jets, introduced in the early 1960s, continue to dominate India’s air force even today.
According to a report by Indian news outlet The Wire, the final MiG-21 squadron will be retired on 19 September in Chandigarh. These aircraft, held together by last-minute upgrades and risky improvisations, have become symbols of failure, not strength.
The MiG-21s have claimed hundreds of lives. Nearly 450 jets have crashed in India, killing more than 170 pilots. Local media have called them “flying coffins” and “widow-makers”. Yet, the Indian government kept using them simply to maintain squadron numbers not out of strength, but due to a lack of alternatives.
Experts say the real problem lies in India’s failed policies. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, started in 1983 to replace the MiG-21s, has seen delay after delay. Even today, it remains stuck on paper with no large scale results.
In a desperate move during the late 1990s, India upgraded 125 MiG-21s to the ‘Bison’ version using parts from Russia, Israel, France, and India. But these short-term fixes only prolonged the aircraft’s unsafe service life.
Now, as the upgraded Bison jets are finally being phased out, India’s air force will be left with just 29 squadrons far below the authorised level of 42.5. This gap puts serious pressure on India’s operational readiness and questions its ability to respond to future threats.
Modi’s Make in India defence drive has proven to be nothing more than a media gimmick. No meaningful weapons production has taken place, and no outdated systems have been replaced. For all the loud political noise, there is little on ground.
India’s continued dependence on Soviet scraps, its broken promises of modernisation, and a military still surviving on “jugaad” has turned national security into a dangerous gamble. The mask of self-reliance has slipped revealing a system built on slogans, not substance.
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