Nashik, September 29: Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Mig-29 aircraft soared to the sky for the last time on Saturday. The aircraft carried out a flypast over Ojhar to mark the end of an era. After the sortie, 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) officials received the aircraft for overhaul at Ojhar at Nashik. Air Commodore SV Borade, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the depot presented a souvenir to the commanding officer of the 28 Squadron. IAF Plans Procure 21 Upgraded MIG-29 Jets From Russia To Plug Shortage of Fighter Squadrons.

According to a report, published in The Times of India, The aircraft was flown by commanding officer group captain JS Patel. The aircraft was used by the IAF during Kargil and post Pulwama attacks. The 28 squadron was awarded Battle Honours in the 1971 Indo-Pak war for its contribution during Governor House attack in Dhaka. IAF Mulls Upgrade in Its Fleet With Rs 1.5 Lakh Crore ‘Make in India’ Deals for 170 Aircraft.

Defence Ministry's Tweet:

“It was an emotional moment for the officers as they saw the legend roaring up in the skies for the last time. Before it came back to guard the skies after getting the all-important upgrades making it more lethal a weapon in the IAF,” reported TOI quoting senior official as saying.

The MiG-29s were inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1986. Meanwhile, the 11 BRD was established in the year 1975. It is the only fighter aircraft repair depot of the IAF.

Recently reports surfaced that the IAF is mulling buy 18 more Sukhoi Su-30 MKI multirole fighters and 21 Mikoyan MiG-29 from Russia. Deputy Director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) in July told media that India has placed a request for an additional 18 Su-30 MKI kits and over 20 modernised MiG-29 aircraft.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2019 05:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).