Icon of the Sky: A History of the MiG-21 in the IAF

This book is meticulously researched, benefiting from my association with the Indian Air Force for over 15 years, as well as the unique expertise of my co-authors—Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar, a veteran of two wars who flew the MiG-21 from 1966 to 2001, and Pushpindar Singh, a pioneer of Indian aviation history, who was sadly lost in the COVID pandemic.

Presented in a beautiful gift box, Icon of the Sky covers the MiG-21’s Indian story in great detail and includes rare historical images as well as some of the finest colour photographs from the modern era. The historical narrative is interspersed with evocative first-person recollections from veterans who were in the cockpit, on the flightline, or even in the pilot’s ear as controllers. This is the definitive account of a legendary aircraft, how it shaped the Air Force, and made history in Indian skies.

Highlights include:

• The very first MiG-21 evaluation in August 1962.

• First-person accounts of the first MiG-21 squadron, as well as the type’s role in the 1965 India-Pakistan War.

• Several detailed accounts of the MiG-21’s exploits in the 1971 War.

• Personal anecdotes about emergencies, incidents and other noteworthy events.

• Appendices detailing MiG-21 variants in service, procurement and production over the years, and units that operated the type in India