India, Aug. 27 -- Six decades ago, a sleek supersonic jet plane from the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau of the Soviet Union was inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF). Since then, MiG-21s have been the workhorse of IAF, securing Indian airspace and taking the battle to the enemy frontline in times of war. That all good things have to end holds true for the MiG-21 as well. In September, the last of the MiG-21 squadrons will be "number-plated", and the plane will be retired. On Monday, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flew the jet from Nal Air Force Station in Bikaner, in a tribute to the aircraft that had achieved iconic status. The first MiG-21s were acquired by IAF in the aftermath of the China war, in 1963. The Soviet Union was willing to sell the light and relatively inexpensive aircraft to India and even facilitate local production. It was a value-for-money buy at a time when IAF had few options. The aircraft was made over multiple times to meet the IAF's requirements - the current variant is the MiG-21 Bison. In the 1990s, when the Soviet Union disintegrated, the MiG-21 faced a crisis. The drying up of the supply chain, including spare parts, meant that the plane became a risky entity. With high landing and take-off speeds, it was never an easy aircraft to fly. This was the time when the ageing aircraft began to report crashes with alarming frequency, earning it the unfortunate moniker "flying coffin". Experts have given the reasons for the spike in crashes in the later years and argued that, while any crash that leads to loss of life is unfortunate, the data for crashes, seen in perspective, suggests that the aircraft has been unduly villainised. Over time, IAF moved on to superior aircraft, and the MiG-21 presence in the force declined. On September 26, a grateful nation will bid goodbye to a loyal sentinel....