♦ The Indian Air Force is set to phase out the last of its iconic Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter jets in September, ending a journey of 62 years.

♦ The IAF has 36 MiG-21 planes left in its arsenal, a far cry from the nearly 900 - of which around 660 were built in India - that so successfully protected the nation's skies and territories.

♦ The induction of the MiG-21, India’s first supersonic fighter, began in 1963.

♦ IAF has operated a raft of MiG-21 variants over the last six decades : Type 74 or MiG 21F, Type 76 or MiG 21PF, Type 77 or MiG 21FL, Type 96 or MiG 21M, Type 75 or MiG 21 Bis (upgraded Type 96) and the MiG-21 Bison.