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New Delhi, Sept 26: For more than six decades, a needle-nosed jet with Soviet origins has defined the story of Indian air power. The MiG-21, inducted in 1963, was India’s first supersonic fighter. Its retirement this week closes a chapter that shaped the Indian Air Force (IAF), for better and worse.When it first arrived, the aircraft catapulted India into the jet age. At twice the speed of sound and capable of climbing with blistering acceleration, it transformed the IAF into a modern fighting force. License-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, it became not just a staple of Indian squadrons but also a symbol India-Moscow unity, a major defence cooperation. BBC said that over the years, India acquired more than 870 of these machines, turning them into the backbone of its

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