Every few days, the moaning of the camels and chirping of the birds at the NRC is puncuated by the distinct scream of an Indian Air Force jet making a low flyover. Bikaner, being a major population center near the Pakistan border, is home to a very large military base. The most plush part of town is reserved for high ranking officers and the ubiquitous army trucks are as overbuilt as any others in this country, though lacking the tricked-out religious paint job and novelty horn.
The aircraft in question are MiG-21M's, a 1960's-era Soviet fighter produced under license in India after the type's success in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. The 450 remaining in IAF service are due to be replaced by an indigenous design, the HAL Tejas.
Interestingly, despite India's increasing economic and social ties to the West, in addition to its political history as a solid democracy, it still turns to Russia for most of its defence needs. The newest aircraft in the IAF inventory are MiG-29's and locally-produced Su-30's, and considerable fuss has been made over the Indian acquisition of a Russian aircraft carrier.
The aircraft in question are MiG-21M's, a 1960's-era Soviet fighter produced under license in India after the type's success in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. The 450 remaining in IAF service are due to be replaced by an indigenous design, the HAL Tejas.
Interestingly, despite India's increasing economic and social ties to the West, in addition to its political history as a solid democracy, it still turns to Russia for most of its defence needs. The newest aircraft in the IAF inventory are MiG-29's and locally-produced Su-30's, and considerable fuss has been made over the Indian acquisition of a Russian aircraft carrier.
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