NEW DELHI – To boost lowering morale of troops, IAF makes ridiculous storyof WC Abhinandan gallantry award citation.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has reaffirmed that it was Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman who brought down the technologically superior F-16 ofthe Pakistan Air Force after a brief hot aerial pursuit before his MiG 21was brought down on February 27 2019.
Abhinandan Varthaman was awarded the Vir Chakra on Independence Day lastyear.
The events of aerial battle have come out for the first time whichelaborates minute by minute sequence.
‘Despite the enemy’s immense numerical and technological superiority, WingCommander Varthaman proceeded to courageously engage the enemy aircraftpackage with utter disregard to his personal safety,’ mentions the citationof the gallantry award.
India had decided to strike the Jaish-e-Mohammed training facility atBalakot in a pre-dawn mission on February 26 last year. Pakistan Air Forcelaunched a retaliatory strike the very next day penetrating the Indian AirSpace into the Nowshera Sector where the aerial duel between the two airforces took place.
The Pakistan fighters included the advanced F-16 and JF-17 fighters andthey were armed with beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missiles andadvanced high-calibre air-to-ground stand-off weapons.
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Wing Commander Varthaman was part of the mission launched from the Srinagarairbase to intercept the incoming enemy fighters.
The Citation mentions Varthaman’s quick thinking and says, ‘Displayingexceptional air combat acumen and knowledge of the enemy’s tactics, WingCommander Varthaman scanned the low-altitude airspace with his airborneintercept radar and picked up an enemy aircraft that was flying low toambush the Indian fighter interceptors,.’
He alerted his other mission members and mounted charge on the enemy. ‘WingCommander Vardhaman alerted the other formation pilots towards thissurprise threat. He then consolidated the riposte by gathering his wingmanin an offensive formation against the hostile Pakistani aircraft nowdropping weapons on Indian Army positions,’ it says.
As per the citation, ‘This audacious and aggressive manoeuvre forced theenemy aircraft into tactical chaos. All the enemy aircraft thereafterturned back, including the rear echelon aircraft who were yet to launchtheir air-to-ground weapons,.’
Wing Commander Varthaman, in his MiG-21, then pursued a ‘retreating enemyfighter/bomber aircraft, and in the ensuing aerial battle ‘shot down theF-16 with his onboard missile’, mentions citation, New Indian Express hasreported.
