An Indian Air force MiG 21 crashed down near the Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The two pilots of trainer aircraft, group captain and squadron leader managed to eject safely out of the plane before it blazed up. Notably, the fighter plane crash is not a new phenomenon for the Indian air force. There are a number of instances of Indian aircrafts crashing down either because of technical failure, bad maintenance or due to the retaliation of its neighbour. Interestingly, most of the crashed involve MiG fighter jets, India bought decades ago from Russia, then Soviet Union. Owing to the crashes, MiGs are now regarded as flying coffins. Last July, the pilot of a MiG-21 jet died after the fighter jet crashed in northern Himachal Pradesh state. Moreover, earlier this year, another MiG-21 ‘Bison’ crashed in Rajasthan after it reportedly hit a bird. The pilot, however, ejected safely. In brief, India is investing billions of dollars in upgrading its air force. It has signed a contract to purchase 36 Dassault Rafale fighters from France for $8.8 billion.