Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and other Balakot pilots to get Vir Chakra

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the daring Indian Air Force fighter pilot,  who shot down Pakistan’s F-16 combat jet during an aerial dogfight over the Line of Control on February 27 is likely to be awarded Vir Chakra. The officials familiar with this development said that apart from Varthaman, other pilots who were part of the pre-dawn airstrikes in Balakot will also get top military honors. Vir Chakra is country’s third-highest wartime gallantry award after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.

One of the officials further added that Varthaman is likely to be awarded a Vir Chakra for his exploits, and the five Mirage-2000 fighter aces who dropped bombs on the terror facility of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Vayu Sena Medal for gallantry.

On that fateful day, Wg Cdr Varthaman chased down the F-16 and ultimately shot it down but his own MiG-21 Bison was hit by a missile forcing him to eject.  According to the media reports, all this lasted for just 90 seconds. But this dogfight in the Subcontinental skies is being seen as not just an unparalleled feat but also proves the superb training at skills of the Indian Air Force pilot. Varthaman was captured by Pakistani army after he bailed out of his aircraft, but Pakistan returned him to India on March 1 after holding him captive for almost 60 hours.

According to the sources, looking at his determination, it seems Varthaman may soon be able to fly again, but a medical board will review his fitness to help the IAF brass decide whether he can return to the fighter jet cockpit as desired by him.

According to the officials, Varthaman is recovering from ejection-related injuries and is likely to undergo a series of tests in the coming months at the Bengaluru-based Institute of Aerospace from where he would require a final clearance from the doctors for flying again.

Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies, said, “If the awards are being announced on Independence Day, it will be an acknowledgment of the professionalism and courage displayed by the fighter pilots in missions where stakes were very high.”