Goodbye, MiG-21!

Romania decommissions MiG-21 LanceR aircraft

Leyla Cheamil, 15.05.2023, 13:50

Authorities in Bucharest have decided to decomission the second-generation MiG-21 LanceR aircraft, which had their first flight in 1957. The Romanian Air Force started acquiring the Soviet-made aircraft 61 years ago, in 1962, and in the following four decades, Romania increased the number to 322 planes. The decision to withdraw them was taken, last year, by the National Supreme Defense Council, in order to accelerate the transition to the operation of F-16 combat aircraft.

Another reason for decommissioning such aircraft is the high number of accidents. In the last three decades, Romania has lost 20 such devices in various accidents. In the last five years alone, four planes have crashed, one of which resulted in the death of the pilot. As early as January, the MiG-21 planes began to be taken out, gradually, from active service and, once they exhausted their flight resource, they were taken to the 95th Air Base in Bacău (east). The last flights of the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft were scheduled for Monday, with the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest organizing, on this occasion, military and religious ceremonies, as well as exhibitions.

The Ministry of Defense has announced that the Romanian Air Force will continue to perform Air Policing missions with the F-16 aircraft it owns, supported by the allied aircraft deployed in Romania, part of the Enhanced Air Policing mission under NATO command. Also, the ministry has stated, the ground-based air defense systems will continue to perform Air Policing missions under national command, as well as within the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.

The Romanian Air Force currently has 17 American-made F-16 fighters. The authorities have announced that they are going to buy 32 more aircraft of this type. Last month, the National Supreme Defense Council decided that Romania would also buy the latest generation of F-35 planes, continuing the modernization process of the Air Force. The authorities specified, then, that the new aircraft would be purchased starting 2030, and information about the price would be discussed when a response was received from the United States.

The Parliament in Bucharest will have to vote to approve the purchase, and then the contract will be concluded. The F-35 jets are considered the most powerful fighter aircraft in the world. Equipped with advanced sensor systems, they are capable of ground attack and reconnaissance missions. (MI)