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Russian designer blames absence
of trainer jets for MiG-21 crashes

Vinay Shukla in Moscow

A top Russian aircraft designer has blamed the absence of an intermediate jet trainer for the catastrophic rate of crashes involving MiG-21s in India.

"The delay in the induction of indigenous intermediate jet trainer by India is the main cause of the high accident rate of MiG-21s, which is a very strict aircraft and never forgives any mistake on the part of the pilot," Deputy Chief Designer of Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" Vladimir Barkovsky told PTI.

According to its own submission in Parliament, the Indian Air Force has lost 80 pilots and 185 aircraft - almost a fourth of its entire fleet -- to accidents in the past decade.

"Things were alright when a trainee would sit at the joystick of MiG-21 after gaining flying experience on 'Kiran' or HF-24 'Marut', which were virtually used as intermediate trainer jets. Today after training on basic piston engine aircraft, the trainee pilot is directly put in the cockpit of a MiG-21," Barkovsky said.

"You cannot expect a man, who just learned to drive a car to pilot a jet fighter," he added, noting that India's HJT-36 single-engine intermediate jet trainer project is behind schedule.

With India moving towards induction of new generation of fighters, the issue of intermediate and advanced trainer jets has acquired paramount importance and this issue can no longer be put on the back burner, he said.

Barkovsky believes that India's HJT-36 intermediate trainer jet, when equipped with French Larzac engine, would make a good combination with MiG-AT advanced jet trainer equipped with two Larzac engines.

Echoing Barkovsky's sentiments, Ruslan Pukhov of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said poor ground maintenance was among other factors responsible for the high accident rate of MiG-21 fighters.

"Like in Russia lately, in India also there is a big difference in (work) culture of pilots and technicians. While our pilots are of world class, the junior technical staff in both countries often work like motor mechanics," he said.

Barkovsky reminded that recently Pakistan acquired 50 F-7PG jets from China, which is only an upgraded version of MiG-21.

"Even these Pakistani jets would be far behind the modernised MiG-21-93s of the Indian Air Force due to their unique 'Kopyo' multi-channel radar capable of simultaneously engaging several targets," Barkovsky said.

PTI

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