NEW DELHI — The MiG-21 FL fighter, a variant of the MiG-21 that heralded the supersonic era of the Indian air force (IAF), will enter the annals of military aviation history after the aircraft fly their last sortie on Dec. 11. Marking the beginning of the end of almost 50 years of MiG-21 operations in the IAF, four MiG-21 FLs will fly a “box formation” as their final sortie. “The deafening roar of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 FL afterburner, an iconic delta-wing fighter aircraft, will no longer be heard after Dec. 11,” an IAF spokesman says.

NEW DELHI — India’s indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is due to achieve the second milestone in its two-step initial operational clearance (designated IOC-II) on Dec. 20, three decades after the development of the aircraft began to replace the aging MiG-21s in the Indian air force (IAF).

NEW DELHI — India is increasing its ability to produce highly enriched uranium for military purposes, including more powerful nuclear weapons, at a facility near Mysore in the southern state of Karnataka, a U.S.-based think tank says.