New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in the final stages of retiring the MiG -21 bison fleet which is inspired by the need to modernise the force structure. While the traditional approach to the aircraft retirement includes either scraping or museum protection, this article explores a practical alternative: converting a portion of these platforms into unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) under a hybrid operational model. The proposed plan allocates approximately 70% of the retired airframes for expendable kamikaze strike missions and 30% for reusable test and evaluation platforms. This approach aims to maximise cost-effectiveness, enhance indigenous drone warfare capabilities, and provide a transitional bridge between mann...