"The sortie was flown from the Pathankot airbase in Punjab. Abhinandan had been cleared for flying last month following a thorough medical check-up," a senior IAF officer said.
Abhinandan was flying a MiG-21 Bison fighter during that dogfight and shot down after he took down a Pakistani F-16. Abhinandan ejected from his fighter jet after being shot and landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where he was taken prisoner.
For the gallantry displayed by Abhinandan in the face of enemy fire during a dogfight with a Pakistani F-16 on February 27, he was awarded Vir Chakra on Independence Day.
Vir Chakra is the third-highest Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery on the battlefield.
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, a brave pilot, who shot down Pakistani F-16 jet during aerial combat on February 27 is likely to be awarded Vir Chakra, according to HT. Apart from Varthaman, other pilots who were part of the pre-dawn Balakot airstrikes will also get top military honours.
The IAF launched an app on Wednesday that allows you to play a combat game on 10 different missions, including the surgical strike, using your mobile phone.
The advertisement latches on to the conversation the IAF pilot had with the Pakistani side in captivity after his MiG-21 Bison was downed during an aerial dogfight on February 27 after the Balakot airstrike.
Squadron No 51 also earned the title of 'AMRAAM Dodger' for successfully evading the 4-5 AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles of the PAF F-16 jets.
"India has quit the policy of being scared of Pakistani threats. Haven't I done the right thing? Every other day they announced, 'we have a nuclear button, we have a nuclear button'. So what do we have then? Are those saved for Diwali?" PM Modi said, while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Barmer.
Abhinandan is the only pilot in the world to have shot down an F-16 combat aircraft from his vintage MiG-21 Bison aircraft on February 27 during aerial conflict with Pakistan.
IAF had earlier informed that Abhinandan Varthaman does not have any official social media account on Twitter and Instagram and have advised all not to follow these accounts as they may contain malware, an official statement said.
As the nation was preparing to welcome back Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, a video claiming that he was seen dancing with Pakistan military went viral on the internet.
Varthaman, who became the face of the tense military confrontation between India and Pakistan, conveyed to the IAF brass that he wants to return to the cockpit as soon as possible.
Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani Army on Wednesday after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during an aerial combat. He downed an F-16 fighter of Pakistan before his plane was hit.
Varthaman, piloting a Mig-21 Bison, shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 with an R-73 air-to-air missile in a dogfight on February 27 before his aircraft took a hit and he had to eject.
Wing Commander Varthaman was debriefed by the security agencies and it will continue for the next couple of days.
The family was watching the news channel to keep up with the developments happening related with the wing commander and it was when the mother of the newborn went into labour.
The country is continuously admiring the bravery of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and now his unique gunslinger moustache with mutton chop beard style is also trending on social media.
Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after his MiG 21 Bison went down during a dogfight with Pakistani jets. But before his plane was hit, Varthaman shot down an F-16 of Pakistan air force.
Pakistan was under intense pressure from the US, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to de-escalate the tensions with India in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack and release the Indian pilot.
Top News
Latest News
