NEW DELHI, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to ground the fleet of Russia-made MiG-21 until investigation will determine the cause of the crash of one of these fighter jets in the western state of Rajasthan earlier this month, local media reported on Saturday.
The IAF has as many as three squadrons of the MiG-21's Bison variant, among the total 31 squadrons, with a total of around 50 MiG-21 aircraft. The MiG-21 was inducted into the IAF in the 1960s, and 800 variants of the MiG-21 have been in service.
The MiG-21 crash on May 8 killed three after the debris from the crashed jet fell on them.
"The MiG-21 fleet has been grounded till the investigations are carried out, and reasons for the crash are ascertained," media reports quoted senior defense officials as saying.
For India the crash rate of the MiG-21 fighter jets has been a major cause of concern in recent years, said a report by the Hindustan Times.
