Abhinandan Varthaman awarded Vir Chakra for shooting down Pakistan jet F-16
Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman accorded Vir Chakra on Monday by President Ram Nath Kovind in an investiture ceremony.
Abhinandan Varthaman has been awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft in aerial combat on February 27, 2019.
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Indian Air Force ace pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was promoted to the rank of Group Captain on November 3, 2021.
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The officer was involved in a dog fight with Pakistani fighter aircraft and has been awarded a Vir Chakra for taking down an F-16 combat aircraft during the engagement.
The officer has been cleared for promotion to the rank of Group Captain by the IAF. Group Captain is equivalent to a Colonel in the Indian Army.
Abhinandan's MiG-21 fighter aircraft was shot down after he took down the F-16 and landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where he was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army.
The Pakistan Army was forced to release him due to the extensive pressure exerted by the Indian side along with the international intervention into the matter. Abhinandan was part of the Srinagar-based 51 squadron and had flown to thwart an aerial attack launched by the Pakistanis on February 27, 2019. India had launched an aerial strike on Pakistan's terrorist facility in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area run by the Jaish e Mohammed. Updating... -PTC News
